The Antique Collector
by Miss March Muffin
Summary: Set a couple of years after the manga. After spending several weeks on case after case after case, Mai's school friends convince Naru to allow Mai the weekend off for her birthday. Mai is thankful for the vacation, but it seems even on break from work, she just cannot escape from the paranormal. Well, so much for a vacation...
1. Prologue

The Antique Collector

by Miss March Muffin

Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt. All rights to Fuyumi Ono. The following story is a work of fiction; any similar names that may appear are coincidental and not deliberate.

* * *

Prologue.

The mansion looms like a tall shadow on the still and silent mountainside. Its tall arching windows are dark, like gaping mouths on the pale concrete walls.

A cold breeze rustles the surrounding trees and shrubbery, and then all goes still. No crickets chirp, no owls hoot. Even the freshly cut grass is still.

Inside, a large grandfather clock signals the start of the witching hour, the gongs echoing throughout the mansion.

In one of the rooms, a woman slumped in front of the fireplace stirs from the noise. Confused and frightened, she goes for the doors, but they're locked shut. She bangs her fists and yells for help, but there is no one living in the building.

Then, she hears it. It is faint, nearly drowned out by the gongs of the grandfather clock. On the other side of the door, a little girl's voice filters through, along with the scent of sweet roses.

" _Ring-o, ring-o roses,_

 _A pocketful of posies;_

 _Ashes, ashes,_

 _We all fall…"_

"… _down."_ The word is whispered to her ear, and she screams. She turns, but there is no one there.

There is a shriek; startled, she turns and sees the mirror warp. A crackle of electricity sizzles along the bronze frame. A piece of it chips off. The shrieking grows louder, and a soft pounding joins the din of disembodied voices. Long shadow-like arms emerge from the huge mirror above the fireplace.

Faster than she could blink, they wrap around her limbs like vines she could not touch. They start dragging her to the mirror, her chin hitting the floor hard. Fear-cold, irrational, and primal and savage-consumes her. She no longer felt human; there was only fear.

"Help! Somebody help me!" The woman screams; her hands desperately claw at the floor for some leverage. It feels like icy water on her skin the moment her feet pass through the mirror. "Help!" Before long, her torso is swallowed up too. She could hear her blood pounding in her ears; could feel her heart beating like a hummingbird.

Her chest tightens, like a crushing weight on her body, and it gets difficult to breathe. Black spots fill her vision just as the shadowy fingers tug at her face. Her fingers slip inside the mirror last. There is a beat of silence, and then a loud sickening crunch, not unlike the sound of bones breaking.

Blood splatter inside the mirror, but the surface remains dry. The mirror gives one last sizzle, before going still and silent.

A breathy hiss, like a sigh, sweeps through the mansion.

" _Soon…"_

* * *

BSPR Case# 7354

Case Title: Shichi Mansion, Mt. Oyama (Kanagawa, Japan)

Inhabitant: Goryou, nearly Jikininki

Casualties: 79 (known dead); 9 (unconfirmed)

Status: Sealed[as of May 30th, 20XX]

Recommendation(s): Destroy sealed gate (Grecian Mirror) via purification fire.

Case Handled By: Lead Investigator Haymish Anderson, PhD

* * *

A/N. Yes, it seems I have started yet another fanfic. For sure, this one will be finished (I swear upon my pride and honor as a fellow fanfiction reader!). I'm currently writing the last couple of chapters, to give enough leeway for proofreading and other minor fixing. This won't be too long; definitely less than 10 chapters. I found it a bit of a challenge to maintain the active-narration thing, when I'm so used to past tense narration. Fingers crossed on how it turns out.

I'm determined to see this one through, and I hope you all will be enjoying and looking forward to the rest of the ride. 'Til the next chapter!

\- Miss March Muffin.


	2. Chapter 1

The Antique Collector

by Miss March Muffin

Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt. All rights to Fuyumi Ono. The following story is a work of fiction; any similar names that may appear are coincidental and not deliberate.

* * *

Chapter 1.

A Much Needed Break [!?]

Mai wakes up slowly, faint images of mirrors and blood and the smell of roses clinging to her consciousness like cobwebs. The ceiling fan hums lowly, and she struggles to focus on that, just as she'd been taught.

When her eyes finally open, all that is left are vague impressions of fear and foreboding. She studies the ceiling fan, and then the white ceiling, and then to the wallpapers, registering their unfamiliarity.

The scent is different; there is a hint of salt in the air, just as the distant sound of the ocean reaches her ears.

 _That's right,_ Mai remembers, _I'm at Keiko's family's beach house…_

She remembers the four-hour drive to the beach house last night, most of which was spent sleeping off the delicious food from the celebratory dinner with the SPR gang. Keiko and Michiru had convinced her to go to the beach with them for the weekend to celebrate her birthday. Surprisingly, Naru had allowed the consequent two-day leave without much fussing-most probably with lots of behind-the-scene pressuring from the other SPR irregulars, namely Bou-san and Ayako.

As a form of gratitude, Mai had secretly left a couple of thermoses of ready-made, reheat-able tea to tide the narcissist over the weekend.

She checks her phone for the time, grimacing at the fact that it was still a bit early. Several weeks of nonstop cases, and consequently, early wake up calls, had probably conditioned her internal body clock enough to do so even when not on duty. _Ugh_.

Knowing going back to sleep would be futile, she decides to wash up, donning on the swimsuit Ayako bought her a few months ago, underneath a summer dress.

In that small amount of time, her phone had started going off, buzzing as birthday greets flooded her inbox. Mai smiles at the greets from John, Masako, Lin and several of her schoolmates, laughs at the ones from Takigawa and Ayako (who had both told her to enjoy her break from both tea-making and spirit-baiting), and rolled her eyes good naturedly at Yasuhara's quip about sending him or Naru a picture of her in a bikini.

She knows without a doubt they'd be at the office today, probably annoying Naru. _You better be grateful I left you some tea, Naru,_ Mai thinks smugly. _...then again, he probably won't even notice I'm not there..._

A knock on the door snaps her out of her depressing thoughts.

"Mai, you up?" Michiru knocks on her door. "Breakfast is ready, come on!"

"Coming!" Mai calls back, shoving her phone into her pocket.

* * *

Contrary to Mai's belief, Naru actually _does_ notice the great impact of his assistant's absence. First and foremost, no one had been there to answer his call for tea this morning. It took him a split second after the words escaped his lips to remember she'd taken a two-day leave. He'd made sure not to repeat the blunder, but it was too late.

From the air of amusement (and no small amount of smugness) around Lin, Naru knows the onmyouji would never let him live this down. The only consolation he had was that the noisy idiots that made up the SPR irregulars weren't there to witness his momentary lapse of stupidity. Although for sure, they would be privy to the incident by the time Mai came back.

Thinking about the brunette, Naru had been…pleasantly surprised to find the stash of ready-made tea sitting on the kitchen counters. He momentarily considers giving her a reward of some sort as a form of thanks…until the door to the office opens, letting in the loud bickering idiots.

 _Mai's encouragement of their treatment of the office as a café had led to this weekly occurrence,_ Naru grouches, good mood considerably lessened.

Secondly, and this one he finds strange, it seems that without the usual noises Mai makes, the more easily he finds himself losing his focus. Unlike the rambunctious, chaotic and unproductive kind the idiots outside his office are making, Mai's noises are the kind that give off a homely, inviting charm to the office. Without her, the office seems to radiate an air more suited to their line of business-dead and quiet.

It is...unsettling, somehow. The saying, 'you don't know what you have until it's gone' flits through his mind, unbidden.

Naru quickly shakes off such silly thoughts.

Had he known Mai's absence would be more distracting than her actually being there-something Naru hadn't even thought possible-he would have thought twice about acquiescing to her taking two consecutive days off from work. Next time he wouldn't be so quick to concede.

Deciding it high time to delve into his work more seriously this time, Naru picks up another file containing a potential case.

It seemed interesting, although the victims going missing poses a problem that needs to be taken care of immediately. Until the nature of the haunting is made certain, Matsuzaki-san's charms, coupled with Lin's barriers should suffice.

Then the title of the property catches his attention. Quickly, he scrolls through his emails. He'd seen it somewhere before... _who was it that sent it again?_

His eyes rapidly scan the subject titles, then narrow as he finds it.

It had been from Madoka, boasting about winning a bet against Dr. Anderson on a request he took on. Naru had been mildly surprised and amused upon initially reading this email. Dr. Haymish Anderson is one of the top lead investigators in BSPR and a good friend of Martin. He had been one of Naru and Gene's mentors, aside from Madoka and Lin. Actually, Madoka and Lin had also been students under the tutelage of Dr. Anderson at separate points in time. Straight-laced, no-nonsense and more than competent in the field, he is one of the few people Naru actually holds with high regard.

Ever since Madoka had joined the ranks of lead investigators, the spunky woman often engaged in a sort of gambling with Dr. Anderson. Usually, it's about petty things, like the length or complexity of the case, or the type of paranormal occurrence experienced by the client. The score is more often than not in favor of Dr. Anderson, naturally, and so Madoka likes to exaggerate and extensively brag about her winning bids. Much like this one.

The location is the exact same one as written in the file. But if Dr. Anderson of all people had already dealt with the request, why would the phenomena still occur?

Naru's eyes narrow in thought, his blue eyes glinting with interest.

"Shichi Mansion, huh?"

It was also located in the same prefecture as the beach house Mai said she'd be staying at. He could just pick her up tomorrow evening and head straight to location, thereby remedying his internal inexplicable disquiet over her absence.

By calculation, he'd have a fresh cup of tea within the next 48 hours at the very least.

* * *

Mai could honestly not remember a time as peaceful as this. Floating on her back in the ocean, as aimlessly and lazily as the clouds high above her.

The last time she had been to the beach had been two years after her mother died. That was Mai's first time here at Keiko's beach house; only, that was a day trip and it had been in the middle of summer. It was her mother's death anniversary, and it was also shortly after she'd finally gotten emancipated. Being allowed to live alone and support yourself might seem cool to any teenager (okay, fine, she found it sorta cool too) but at the time Mai had felt lonely and scared.

So her friends had decided to cheer her up by bringing her to the beach.

It was a day just like this one. Relaxing and so peaceful…

And then a salty spray socks her in the face, breaking her concentration and dunking her underwater.

She hears her friends laugh as she coughs out the water from her nose and throat.

"Sorry, Mai," Keiko splutters in between her giggles. "You were so out of it, we couldn't resist." She falls into another fit of laughter, so hard she leans onto Michiru's shoulder.

Mai doesn't think it's as funny.

"Oh come on, Mai," Hanako teases, "We're on a beach by ourselves; no daydreaming allowed, even if it is about your hunky boss."

Mai gapes for a second and then splutters her denials, all of which, Hanako dismisses with a wave of her hand.

"Face it Mai, no matter how much you wish he could be here to see you in your hot, sexy swimsuit, you're stuck with us." Hanako adds, sticking her tongue out for effect.

Mai rolls her eyes good naturedly, then quickly devises a plan of revenge. Timing the next wave, she points to the mountains in the distance. "Hey, what's that building over there?"

When they turn, she gives them an almighty splash, aided by the huge wave. The girls fall and flail with high pitched squeals. She cannot wipe the victorious grin off her face when they resurface spluttering and coughing.

"Oh, it's on!" Keiko yells.

Mai smirks. "Bring it."

And thus, the hour-long water fight of the girl friends begins.

* * *

By lunch time, the girls finally decide to call it quits, succumbing under the heat of the noontime sun. Keiko's father, who had left earlier to attend to some errand or another, had just returned with a huge platter of fresh sushi. The four girls hurry to take their showers, hungry from their water excursion.

When Mai gets out of the shower, there's a message from Takigawa, but the composition is highly reminiscent of Yasuhara's. Mai giggles, figuring they were all gathered again in the office. It's Saturday, after all.

 _Hey guys! We've just come back from the beach. Keiko's dad bought us a huge sushi platter for lunch._ She replies, towel drying her hair. She'd been so busy with school and cases, she'd forgotten to give it a trim, and now it's grazing her shoulder blades.

Before long, her phone receives another message alert.

 _Cool. Hey, when will you send us a picture of you in your hot, sexy, two-piece? ;)_

Mai near chokes on her spit, blushing ten shades of red at the audacity. For a second, she is dumbfounded. _How do they even know…?_ The answer follows immediately. _Ayako._

She glowers.

 _No way in hell, Yasu! If Ayako already told you about it, why do I need to give you a picture when she's probably already described it, anyways?_

Pressing send, she opens up another contact and types furiously.

 _TRAITOR!_

This she sends to Ayako.

When her phone rings again, it's a call alert from Takigawa. _I hope he has enough credit,_ Mai thinks before answering.

"Hello-"

"Jou-chan, what were you thinking, buying a blue one?!" Takigawa complains loudly. Before she could even reply, Ayako's voice cuts in.

"Obviously, because it compliments her skin tone perfectly! Besides, you can't honestly believe she'll suit orange or red one pieces!"

 _...Ah, they probably put her on speakerphone._

True enough, Yasuhara pipes in. "But Matsuzaki-san, Mai could definitely carry a black bikini really well! It's such a waste, considering the beach would probably have a few prospective boyfriends for Mai-san."

"Guys, I am _not_ discussing my swimsuit choice with you, _especially_ when I'm on speakerphone." Mai interrupts loudly.

"Oh well, that's fine," Yasuhara answers nonchalantly. "Let's discuss something else, then."

Mai is immediately suspicious.

"How was the beach, Mai-chan? Any potential boyfriends whose numbers you exchanged with?"

"I am not going to talk about that either!" Mai retorts quickly, blushing lightly.

Actually, while they had been at the beach, a few college guys staying at the neighboring cabin had wandered by and flirted with the girls. Mai had been flustered upon receiving their attention (and a couple of their numbers). She prays her voice didn't sound as pitchy as it seemed...

"Aha! So you _have_ met some guys there!" Yasuhara jumps in. She hears Ayako gasp and titter in the background.

"What?!" Takigawa protests. "I thought you were going to a friend's beach house? Isn't that trespassing private property? Or was what you told us a cover up for a beach outing mixer of some sort?"

Mai splutters at the sudden interrogation. "Wha-?! No! No way, you've got it all wrong!"

"Aw, it's okay, Mai-san," Yasuhara teases, "There's no need to be embarrassed about it!"

"Jou-chan, I won't approve of some shoddy guy as your boyfriend," Takigawa says seriously. "I want to meet this guy to make sure of his character, you hear me?"

"Guys, cut it out!" Mai yells in exasperation. "For the last time, it's not a mixer or anything. I'm not hooking up with anybody. Now, if you have nothing else to say, I'm hanging up. Lunch is almost ready, and Keiko said they're taking me somewhere afterwards so I need to get ready."

"Wait, where are you going?" Takigawa asks immediately.

"I'm not really sure," Mai huffs. "They said it was a surprise. Ah, but they said it's not far away from here, so most likely somewhere within the prefecture." Then Mai's voice turns cheeky. "I _did_ manage to steal a look at the tickets Hanako-chan hid in her bag. I think it said Shichi Mansion something or other..."

"Shichi Mansion?" Yasuhara pipes up. "I think I've heard about it befo-"

Michiru knocks on the door, calling for lunch.

"Ah, time's up. I'll mail you guys later, okay?"

"Okay. Take care alright? And happy birthday!" Bou-san replies.

"Thanks," Mai smiles. "I will. And leave the office! I only prepared so much tea; I'm not sure how long Naru will last, so don't piss him off too much."

* * *

The drive seems to take forever, but Mai figures it's just her nerves and impatience at work. Before they left, the girls had blindfolded Mai, 'to add to the suspense'. In her opinion, they just wanted to mess with her a bit, knowing her impatience for surprises. According to Michiru, wherever or whatever this thing was, it isn't far from the beach house. Approximately thirty minutes later, the car comes into a full stop. Mai practically vibrates in her seat.

"Are you ready, Mai?" Hanako whispers conspiratorially. Keiko and Michiru giggle.

"Oh just get it over with already!"

Without further ado, they snatch off the blindfold. As soon as her eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness, Mai gawks. She didn't know what she'd been expecting exactly, but it definitely wasn't this.

Several feet away, complete with the circular drive in and antique marble fountain in the center, stood a huge three-story western-style mansion. The sign on the archway reads, "Shichi Mansion: Ghost Tour Special".

Mai is torn between crying and laughing hysterically. Oh the irony. She takes a day off from work, only to get dragged into a horror house attraction. Again.

Wonderful.

* * *

A/N. Because of course Mai would inevitably run into the paranormal, even off duty. I feel like such a sadist, writing this. [I'm sorry Mai! Couldn't resist!]

Anyways, hope you enjoyed the chapter! Your feedback would be greatly appreciated. 'Til next chapter!

-Miss March Muffin


	3. Chapter 2

The Antique Collector

by Miss March Muffin

Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt. All rights to Fuyumi Ono. The following story is a work of fiction; any similar names that may appear are coincidental and not deliberate.

* * *

Chapter 2.

Just Ghost Stories?!

"You girls be careful now," Keiko's dad says, leaning out the open window of the van. "Just mail me when you guys are done, okay? Have fun!"

They wave at him as he drives off, although Mai does so only half-heartedly. Her mind is still busy trying to comprehend what's happening.

"This is so exciting! I hear they even decorated this house with authentic antique stuff from all over the world. Some items supposedly have a related ghost story behind it!" Keiko squeals, clasping Michiru's hands.

"Guys... Just what exactly is this...?" Mai asks mechanically, part of her thinking (wishing) this to be some twisted joke.

"Hanako suggested it." Michiru smiles sheepishly. "We all thought it might be a good idea, since we haven't hung out in so long. With all the stories you've told us about your cases, we thought bringing you to a horror house that probably isn't as scary and dangerous as the ones you go to might be a bit refreshing for you."

"Besides, all of us met and bonded over ghost stories, so wouldn't it be fun to actually go to a more realistic ghost story telling venue?" Keiko adds excitedly. "And with all the experience you've had with Shibuya-san, most of this is going to be pretty much a walk in the park for you."

Mai rolls her eyes as they laugh. With these new points to consider, it probably wouldn't be so bad after all... _maybe._ Then again, something like this had happened before, when she, Bou-san, Yasuhara and Ayako went to a haunted house attraction during Halloween. That hadn't really ended so well since there really _was_ a ghost that kept messing around in the mirror maze… They had all gotten slightly cut up when it made the mirrors break, and well... Naru wasn't pleased (to say the least).

 _Maybe_ this wasn't a good idea after all…?

Hanako claps her back hard, grinning widely. "Impressive, isn't it?" She ignores Mai's yelp and consequent glare. "It's been getting all the hype in the media right now. Come on!"

Grumpily, Mai rubs her abused back. "How'd you even find out about this place, anyway?"

The raven-haired girl flicks her nose with her thumb. "I have my connections."

"Actually, she was procrastinating with her essay and found it being featured on TV while surfing through random channels." Michiru explains.

"Ah mou! You weren't supposed to say that." Hanako stomps angrily while the three girls giggle.

"Anyway, let's get moving. The ticket says the tour will start in less than an hour." Hanako huffs before leading the way to a smaller, single story building off to the side of the mansion. Unlike the huge victorian themed house, this one bore more modern, functionalist architecture, evidently a new and recent addition to the property.

When they got close enough, Mai sees it's actually a reception hall of sorts for registering and admitting guests. It's a wide-open area upon entrance, with a small hallway at the back, presumably leading to the offices and other administration rooms. Several other people are already sitting in benches opposite the ticketing area.

Hanako hands the attendant their tickets and their student IDs, allowing them a 10% discount. A young woman dressed in black shirt and slacks hands them brochures with a map of the entire property and a layout of the area they'd be touring. She guides them to a section of the benches with four other people, explaining that they will be grouped together for the tour with two other people.

"Oh, I'm so excited!" Keiko squeals.

"We can tell, Keiko-chan," Mai laughs with Michiru.

"Oh sit down before you start jumping all over the place." Hanako yanks down the girl to the space beside her. Keiko's excitement isn't deterred so easily though.

"Do you think there could actually be ghosts inside? I mean, it's a freaking century-old mansion in the middle of nowhere, can you get any more cliché?"

Hanako rolls her eyes. "If there's any chance that movie clichés would become reality, I'd rather romances than horrors. But last time I checked, sempai still hasn't noticed me, so I don't think we're gonna see any actual ghosts."

Mai snorts at her friend's logic. Despite the slightly skewed analogy, Mai inwardly agrees; half the cases they'd taken on happened in totally perfectly ordinary looking houses. Aside from the Urado case, the only other case they took on in a mansion in the middle of nowhere had been nothing more than faulty construction and a really sneaky family of rodents. Naru had been grouchy over the wasted time it took to travel, let alone "solve the case". Still, there _had_ beena haunted house attraction that contained an actual ghost… But it's not like _all_ haunted house attractions are infested with spirits...surely?

Logically, Mai knows this to be true and sound. However, her luck has always been just _that_ bad…

The arrival of the last two people in their tour group of ten puts a tentative hold on her doubts. At two o'clock, a young man who introduces himself as Matsunaga Yukio approaches them dressed like a butler in the Victorian era, and introductions are made. They certainly make quite a diverse group - a foreign college exchange student accompanied by a reserved looking Japanese girl; an extremely, unusually demonstrative lovey-dovey couple; a couple of women in their mid-twenties; and finally, Mai and her three friends.

The butler-slash-tour-guide leads them up the driveway, around the fountain of cherubs and up the short but wide granite steps before pausing in front of the huge oak doors.

"On normal tour days, the agenda would be to go through most of the rooms in the mansion. However, in this Ghost Walk tour special, we shall focus on places containing the most haunting and mysterious antiques and structures with equally dark back stories." The near cheerful demeanor with which he spoke reminds Mai of Naru's fake ones. There isn't any warmth in their smiles; the only difference being that where Naru's held underlying frost and mockery, Yukio's is simply empty.

One of the women raises her hand. "Is this something like the Ghost Tours done in Amsterdam?"

 _Kanzaki Rika, I think her name was,_ Mai recalls.

Yukio blinks. "Why yes, actually. The master of the house had patterned this after them. He'd been on one during a visit in Amsterdam, and fancied doing the same with this mansion. The master seems to share the same interest in these kinds of things as the original owner of the mansion."

 _What an eccentric man,_ Mai thinks. _He turns his swanky mansion into a horror attraction out of some whim for ghost stories?_

"Now, if there aren't any more questions, shall we proceed inside?" With a flourish, Matsunaga raps twice with the brass Oberon doorknocker.

A beat, and then another. When the doors open, it is with a melodramatic creak and a slight musty breeze.

When Mai crosses the threshold, something lurches in her gut. A strange feeling hits her subconscious; like she'd just stepped into the witch's lair, and was being ushered courteously to the dinner table…as food.

There is anticipation in the air - whether solely from the other people in their group, or from something else, Mai just isn't quite sure.

* * *

"You are positive Mai said 'Shichi Mansion'?" Naru asks the irregulars in the sitting room. He'd called John and Masako in as he printed out copies of the case details, but not before he'd phoned Dr. Anderson for more information.

When Naru had entered the sitting area, he'd come just in time to hear them tell the exorcist and the medium about Mai's trip to Shichi Mansion. The same location where the case was - where a temporarily sealed, extremely dangerous demon is (barely) contained.

Yasuhara nods from Mai's desk, laptop propped up. "Positive, Big Boss."

"The producers of my show have actually been planning on filming an episode there, it's gathered quite the hype recently." Masako adds.

 _Trust that girl to get into potentially dangerous situations on her own._ Naru sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Should we be worried, Naru-bou?" Takigawa asks, his posture alert and ready to bolt.

Naru takes a seat on the armchair at one end of the coffee table. "This is a request by a fellow lead investigator from the main branch."

The small detail is left unelaborated, but understood by everyone. _Main branch. BSPR_.

"He'd already performed the necessary sealing and binding, however got incapacitated in the process. He is currently recovering in the hospital in the Yokohama city proper. Our task now is to complete the job and ensure that the entity does not get released."

"So what _is_ this sealed entity?" Takigawa asks.

"I believe you call it a _'Jikininki'_ in Buddhist terminology."

Takigawa freezes, his skin paling in seconds. Although not as knowledgeable as Takigawa, Ayako, Masako and Yasuhara are familiar enough with it to share similar looks of shock and disbelief.

It is John, the only one unfamiliar with the term, who breaks the silence first. "Pardon me," He glances worriedly at the nervous looks of his friends. "But what is a _Jikininki_?"

"To put in simple terms, a _Jikininki_ is a demon. To be precise, a hungry demon." Naru sighs at the tense expression that settles on the exorcist's face. "Well, to be sure, what we are going to deal with is not _quite_ a _Jikininki_ yet. It is still a _Goryou_ , an evil spirit that has started consuming other souls. However, it has amassed a great amount of souls and power. How this could have possibly reached this stage without being noticed until now is beyond me." Naru rolls his eyes in aggravation.

"The investigator from the main branch, Mr. Anderson, has already subdued and sealed the entity in a mirror found in the mansion. The only thing left for us to do is to destroy it by means of purification fire." He closes his black binder with a snap. "However, make no mistake. There _have_ been a lot of deaths involved in this case; even sealed in the mirror, I cannot guarantee things to be completely safe. Knowing this, I will not force any of you to come along for this request. It has potential to turn as dangerous as the Urado case."

"Naru-bou, you don't even have to ask; since when have we ever backed out any cases you called us to?" Takigawa says. John smiles in agreement. Masako nods demurely, kimono sleeve raised.

"Well someone has to be there to patch you guys up, and at the very least, keep it away from your rooms." Ayako adds in a haughty tone.

Yasuhara raises his hand. "While I don't mean to leave you guys hanging, I think I'd have more access to any research materials you might ask of me here…unless you need me to stand in for you again, Big Boss?"

Naru shakes his head. "No, you will not be needed on site for this one." He stands up. "Well, if that's all, we best hurry up and start packing. We cannot expect the seal to hold up for too long, and it's already been a few weeks. I need you ready to go as soon as possible. Lin and I will go ahead."

"Oi, wait just a moment," All the occupants of the room turn to Takigawa. "What about Mai? I highly doubt she's going to be happy being left out of a case…"

They all pause warily at the brief frustrated look on Naru's face.

"Actually, Mai is already there."

* * *

"…The story behind this music box on the other hand is rather tragic, dating back to the late 1700s. The story goes is that this was a present to little Rosemarie Favre-Salomon, handmade by her brother Antoine, who was quite the clockmaker in his time." Yukio gently held out a golden pocket watch the size of his palm. It looks good as new, as though it had been created and bought this week, instead of centuries ago.

"Little Rosemarie shared a very close relationship with her brother; however, in the later years, they often spent time apart from each other. Antoine made this little music box for his sister to ease their separation. One hot summer, Little Rosemarie was bedridden with scarlet fever. By a series of unfortunate events, her house caught fire, and as she was too ill to escape, died in it before the fires could be put out. When they found her corpse, they found this music box beside her, still playing its tune." Mai shivers. No one should have to die like that - especially a little girl.

Yukio carefully turns the dial on the side, and a soft tune echoes throughout the room. Even though it plays a lovely, upbeat melody, Mai feels a strange melancholy, a gripping sorrow, embedded in the haunting music.

"Now, rumour has it that Little Rosemarie has latched on to her beloved music box. On occasion, the music box would play all on its own, even though the pocket watch has been preserved and maintained excellently. Once a year, during a hot summer's day, the music box would play all day, and a wailing voice can be heard accompanying the music. People have speculated that perhaps it's the anniversary of Little Rosemarie's death, when she burned to the death all those centuries ago with nothing but her brother's music box to accompany her."

Michiru and Keiko pull closer to each other, and Mai doesn't blame them. Matsunaga appears to be quite the ghost story teller. It doesn't escape the brunette's attention that most of the people in their group are as riveted as she was to the music box, and the tragic story of Rosemarie Favre-Salomon.

Hanako nudges her arm, whispering, "Wow Mai, this guy sure gives you a run for your money in the story telling department."

Mai gives her a dry smile in reply.

"Is that really an Antoine Favre-Salomon original?" Immediately, the inquiry shatters the atmosphere like rock on glass.

Mai hears her friends, and several other companions groan at the voice, and she honestly couldn't blame them. All throughout the tour, the foreign exchange student, who'd introduced himself as Tyler Smith, has been raising skeptic questions and comments left and right. More than once, it has ruined the spooky atmosphere Yukio had woven.

Although to be honest, the brunette sees the merits in some of his doubts, more because Naru would have probably raised the same points. The only difference between the two is that while Naru believes in the legitimately paranormal (heck, he _studied_ it for a living), Tyler dismisses it with a passion. Like a non-paranormal-obsessed version of Naru…or a very science-obsessed/know-it-all Hiroki.

Kudos to Yukio though, for maintaining his courteous façade in spite of the antagonistic tones that Tyler sometimes used.

"Why of course, Smith-sama." The butler-guide holds out the other side of the pocket watch. "See here, the insignia that Favre-Salomon marks his creations with…"

Mai tunes out of their discussion, along with the rest of the tour group, in favor of looking through the rest of the sitting room. From the wallpapers, the chandeliers, the fireplace and the mantle, the furniture…everything looks just like those in the Victorian era, if those anime and western films were anything to go by. Despite its age, the antiques in the room - much like the rest of the mansion - look to be in pristine condition, and not for the first time, Mai feels as though she'd travelled back in time.

The unease in her stomach surfaces once more, subtle but _there_ , like a constant reminder.

Yukio calls for break time, inviting them to stay in the room and explore, or use the restrooms across the hall. He goes over to the fireplace and pulls an indiscriminate string, ringing a tiny bell. Within minutes, maids dressed to match the room enter, pushing carts filled with snacks and drinks.

All ten of them fit in the room more than comfortably, and Mai and her friends sit together around a small coffee table nearer to the tall glass windows.

"I feel like I've time travelled or something," Hanako exclaims, plopping onto the chaise lounge.

"I know, right?" Keiko takes a bite from her slice of cake. "Oh, this is so good!"

Michiru takes a bite too and moans in delight. "Oh, piece of heaven…!"

"Ne, ne, Mai-chan," Keiko bounces in her seat. A conspiratorial look settles over her face. "So, is there any truth to these ghost stories? Have you sensed anything that we could hunt all by ourselves? Or is Smith-kun pretty much spot on with his debunking?"

"I thought this was my day-off, and you're asking me to work?" Mai asks dryly. "Well, in the first place, I'm not a highly trained psychic that I can just enter a house and go, 'Oh, there are ghosts here!'. And second of all, some of Smith-san's questions _do_ have some merit to them."

 _Although he does dismiss any and all that_ could _potentially be real evidence of the paranormal._ Mai adds silently.

In a low voice, Hanako leans forward. "It's such a shame though, that Smith-kun."

"Aww, already tired of the foreign hot stud?" Mai teases.

"Well he keeps ruining the atmosphere with all his questioning and poking and prodding." Hanako pouts. "Don't get me wrong, I still think he's a hottie, and that know-it-all air is such a turn on, but if he keeps ruining all these romantic ghost stories, I may be having second thoughts."

Laughing, Mai pulls out her phone from the depths of her shoulder bag. She'd felt it vibrate quite a few times half an hour into the tour, but hadn't had a chance to answer it until now. She blinks in surprise.

 _12 missed calls; 23 mails._

 _What the heck…?_

What surprises her more than the number of times she'd been called and messaged, is that some of them were from Naru.

 _Naru._

Even in her mind, Mai cannot stress enough how unusual this is.

First of all, Naru rarely ever calls. He leaves messages. And even those are rare enough as it is. Secondly, he'd called _more than once_.

What on earth is going on…? Had the world ended while she'd been in this out-of-date mansion?

The foreboding feeling in her gut spikes up again, and Mai entertains the idea that maybe _that_ was the issue…

After all, they _are_ professional, legit psychics… Even though Mai still had a difficult time considering _herself_ as a legit psychic.

The phone rings again and Mai fumbles with it in surprise before answering. She excuses herself from the girls and steps outside the room, staying by the doorway.

"Finally!" Takigawa's voice filters through. "Mai, where are you right now?"

Mai's brows furrow at his worried tone. "Uhm, I'm out with my friends...remember? They took me to this Ghost Walk at Shich Mansion-"

A flurry of curses cuts her off and bewildering her even more.

"Bou-san, what's wrong?"

"You are _inside_. Shichi. Mansion? As in, right now?" Mai hears muffled voices in the background. "How long have you been in there, exactly?"

"Y-yes." She answers nervously. "Uhm, about an hour or so, I guess? The tour started at two…"

"Has anything…weird happened? Have _you_ felt anything… off?"

"What…? Uh, no, not reallyyy…" She bites her lip. Well, there _was_ that feeling in her gut since entering the mansion…but maybe it's just her imagination…? Or maybe just paranoia?

Takigawa sighs, mumbling, "Well, if you haven't sensed anything yet…but somehow I doubt that…"

Mai doesn't catch this however. Her attention is caught on the other end of the hallway, where she _could_ _have_ _sworn she heard a little girl's voice…_

 _Maybe it was just another tour group..._

Shadows flicker in and out of sight down the hall. _Were they going to pass this way?_

"-ai? Mai!" Mai jumps.

"Oh, sorry, what was that Bou-san?" She squints her eyes, trying to see better. "Sorry, I was just distracted by…something…"

"Oi, what's going on over there?"

"It was nothing, stop worrying!" Mai huffs, giving up. It was probably a trick of light. "Why are you so uptight anyway? Geez, you're so panicky. What's got your panties in a twist, anyway?"

"Mai, this is no time to be joking right now. Be on your guard, okay? Stick with your group. The others and I are on our way; Naru and Lin should be halfway there already-"

"Wait, what?!" _That_ got her attention. "Why are you going here?! And what do you mean, 'here'? As in _here,_ here?!" Chills creep up her spine as the implications start sinking in.

"Yeah, we're headed _there_ , to Shichi Mansion. It's an emergency case Naru took. We're just there to finish the job a colleague of Naru's started. The entity's sealed in some mirror, I'm not too sure which or where, so just be careful and make sure nobody tries to touch anything too much."

"Mm, I'll try my best," A childish giggle makes her turn around…to an empty hallway. "Uhh, Bou-san, you said…whatever it was, is sealed, right? Does that mean it's completely cut off from haunting or…?"

"Huh? Supposedly…" His voice takes on a worried tone again. "Why? Do you sense something else? It could possibly be powerful enough to instigate some minor activity… Damn it, it might be really dangerous if you already feel uneasy. Can't you get out of there immediately?"

"Uhh, I'm not sure about that… Well, it's just that-"

Her words are cut off by a shrill scream that makes her drop the call.

* * *

A/N. Wehlp. Signature cliff hanger. I think you all saw it coming anyway...?

Personally, I've only really heard stories about the Amsterdam Ghost Tours. So... in any case, the Shichi Manor _was_ just inspired by it, so if it's not much similar to the actual Ghost Tours in Amsterdam then I rest my case. /sheepish shrug

Basically, they tour the house and tell ghost stories while doing so. That was pretty much the gist that I got from how the Amsterdam ghost tours work... [although I'm sure they're more exciting than this...! /bows apologetically]

After a slow start, some action is finally starting to take place! So excited~! Drop a review and tell me what you think! 'Til the next chapter~!

\- Miss March Muffin


	4. Chapter 3

The Antique Collector

by Miss March Muffin

Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt. All rights to Fuyumi Ono. The following story is a work of fiction; any similar names that may appear are coincidental and not deliberate.

* * *

Chapter 3.

Stubborn Fools.

The scream came from the restrooms, and the brunette rushes to it instinctively. "Hey, are you alright? What's going on?" She bangs against the locked door, worried at the sound of hysterical sobbing from inside.

"What's wrong?" Yukio comes behind her, looking concerned and slightly frazzled.

"I don't know. The door's locked…" She stops short at his puzzled look.

"But there's no lock in that door…"

Without further ado, Mai recites the spell Takigawa had taught her ages ago, and the door opens slightly.

"What happened?" She rushes over to the hysterical woman kneeling on the floor. The lingering scent of roses makes Mai's nose twitch. The temperature in the room is still cooler than normal.

The woman, who Mai recognizes now as Kanzaki Rika's companion, Uesugi Misao, points a shaky finger to the vanity.

"Th-there was a li-little girl in the mirror," Misao chokes out. "With b-brown hair…a foreigner…S-she was singing that song from the music box…"

"Misao? Misao!" Rika bursts in, rushing to her friend. Mai moves slightly to give her room beside Misao.

Mai comforts the older woman, with a grim realization that Takigawa had been right. She'd been wrong to ignore her instincts…again.

Now, Mai knows without a doubt that the child's voice she'd heard just a while ago was the same spirit that appeared to Misao.

"Oi, is everything alright in there? What was that scream?"

Mai turns to find the whole group waiting anxiously by the door. She hesitates, unsure of how much to tell. She needed them to take this seriously enough to keep together, but giving them the whole truth would no doubt scare them away and send them into panic.

…Or just brush it off as another lie, as in the case of Smith, most likely.

 _Now how exactly do I deal with this…?_ Mai fumbles quickly for a believable excuse.

"It seems some person had been waiting in the restroom and was about to take her purse, but fled when Matsunaga-san and I knocked on the door." She made sure to angle herself to hide Misao from view, fingers crossed. "Uesugi-san is fine and unharmed; just slightly shaken up. We'll follow you guys back into the sitting room in a minute."

Reluctantly, they leave, sharing doubtful and worried looks, whispering about the possibly dangerous person prowling in the property. Before the guide could leave, Mai quietly holds him back. "Matsunaga-san, a word, if you please?"

Catching her look, he nods and steps inside the restroom.

"I'm sorry for lying to them, Uesugi-san." Mai bows to Misao who has stood up with Rika's support. The older woman looks surprised, and Mai continues earnestly. "Please do not misunderstand; I _do_ believe you, and no, I don't think you're crazy or anything at all. It's just that I believed it better that they do not panic."

In brief words, Mai explains to their guide and to Rika what had really happened inside the restroom. Mai pins Yukio with a serious look. "Matsunaga-san, I work for the psychic research company I believe you or your head called for, called Shibuya Psychic Research. Now, this is purely coincidental, that I ended up here, but I'd received a call from my co-workers just now-"

Her phone vibrates in her hand, cutting her off. "…And this must be them, again. Please wait a moment."

The caller id reads _Naru_ and Mai prepares herself for a moment.

"Mai." She blinks at the worry and urgency in his tone before recovering quickly.

" _Shibuya-shachou,"_ She emphasizes the title, hoping he'd get the hint. "I apologize for answering only now. An incident came up; a spirit of a child had attacked one of the members in the tour group I belong to. The spirit had locked the person in a restroom, but left quickly when I performed Bou-san's chant."

A pause. "…Well done, Mai." Mai hopes fervently that her face did not flush red. "I take it some of them are present right now?"

"Yes. Currently, I have our tour guide and the victim and her friend with me."

"Very well. Put me on speakerphone."

"Certainly, boss!" She replies cheerfully, turning on the speaker. "You're on, Shibuya-shachou."

"Good afternoon, this is Shibuya Kazuya speaking, CEO of Shibuya Psychic Research." Mai hides a knowing smile at the shocked faces on the three people at the young voice on the phone. Although his voice has grown deeper after three years, it's still undeniably that of a young male's. "May I know the person currently in charge of this tour?"

"Ah, that would be me, Matsunaga Yukio. I am one of the tour guides employed by Inoue-san."

"I see. I have already informed Inoue Setsuya about our arrival. Currently, it'll take me and my other assistant approximately another hour to arrive there. As it happens, my assistant, Taniyama-san, is already there. Given the incidents that have occurred, I strongly suggest you evacuate all the people inside the mansion as a safety precaution." Naru's voice turns slightly colder and that much more stern. "I do believe my colleague, whom you've previously hired, has even warned your employer against letting people inside the mansion until the matter has been dealt with."

 _What? It's_ that _dangerous that they were originally recommended to seal this place off? …And colleague? Well, Bou-san_ did _mention something about it a while ago…_

"Pardon me, Shibuya-san, but I cannot just simply-"

"You do realize that _lives_ are at stake, hear, don't you Matsunaga-san?" Even Mai winces at the biting tone in Naru's voice.

Really, Naru should know not to be so harsh. "Shibuya-san," Mai warns him as softly as she could.

Naru sighs. "I cannot guarantee that the measures taken by Mr. Anderson will hold up for long, considering the activities that have occurred. Unless you want to handle the responsibility of people's lives, I _highly_ suggest you do as I ask."

Yukio pales at the insinuation. "…Very well, Shibuya-san. I shall notify the other tour groups right away."

"Good. I assume this incident is has been kept secret from the other guests?"

"Yes."

"Good. We do not need for idiotic people to panic and aggravate the situation. Mai, a word please." Mai obediently turns off the speaker, smiling apologetically at Yukio.

"Yes, boss?"

"The politeness does you good, Mai." The brunette flushes in embarrassment and anger at the amusement in his voice; she makes sure to turn away from the others and the mirror.

"Oh shut up, you narcissist! I only did that so they'd believe me, and to calm Uesugi-san down!" Mai hisses quietly. "And you didn't have to be so rude Matsunaga-san, you know!"

"I needed to make sure he knew the things at stake here, Mai." He pauses, and then very, very softly, he asks, "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine." Mai blinks. Then she remembers the incident right before the attack, and the feeling she got upon entering the mansion. "Actually, is it really that bad in here? I mean, when I entered, I felt weird. It was like…I was _made_ to feel a fake sense of ease."

 _Like I was being ushered into a trap_ …

"…I see." Naru's voice is low and serious, and Mai can clearly picture the expression that came with it. "Do as I said and leave the mansion immediately. If possible, I want all guests, and the employees who haven't experienced any incidents of relevance evacuated from the premises by the time we get there. Until then, make sure no one, and absolutely _no one_ is alone. Not even for restroom breaks. Understood?"

"Mm." Mai nods. "I've already made up a story about a dangerous robber within the premises so the others wouldn't panic. I'm going to go back to them now, come get here quick okay? And tell Bou-san I'm okay. I sorta hung up on him awhile ago; I probably scared him out of his wits…"

Naru mumbles something that Mai doesn't catch. "What was that?"

"Nothing. We'll be there soon. Until then, try not to get in trouble." Mai rolls her eyes.

"Yes, yes, I know, I'll do my best. _O ye of little faith_ ," She adds one of the many English phrases Madoka had taught her with her best imitation of a British accent.

Naru makes a noise that sounds like a huff or a snort. "Be careful, Mai."

* * *

While Mai leads the two women back to the group and "fully explains" the situation to the rest, Yukio verifies and explains the circumstances to Inoue Setsuya, the owner of the mansion.

"…So in the mean time, Matsunaga-san requested that we just stick together, and make sure none of us are left alone." Mai finishes in a polite tone. If she plays it right, they wouldn't think much of it or protest to it too much. After all, everyone came in pairs in the first place, so as long as they never left their companions alone, or wandered away from the group, everything would hopefully turn out fine.

Tyler approaches Misao, a speculating look on his face. "Uesugi-san, did you manage to get a good look at the attacker earlier?

Mai breaks out in nerves, hoping furiously that Misao would be able to make up something. She hadn't been able to corroborate their story _this_ far…

The raven-haired woman glances at her discreetly, but the uneasy look on her face could be brushed off as left over anxiety from the experience.

"Well, no, not really…It had all been too fast, and he'd hid in the shadows before hand." She paused, "But he looked about medium build, and tall, maybe about 190 cm or so."

The small group breaks out into nervous whispers again. Mai quietly breathes a sigh of relief. When Tyler takes on a thoughtful look, chin cupped in his hand, and the other cupping his elbow, she finds herself fighting a smile at the uncanny resemblance to Naru's habits. _Definitely Naru's counterpart. If there ever existed a Naru that wasn't obsessed with the paranormal._

"What's so funny, Mai?" Hanako whispers.

She shakes her head. "It's nothing; just that Smith-san just now reminded me a lot of Naru."

Hanako rolls her eyes. "Oh you love sick fool, you."

Mai tries to protest, but Hanako waves it off.

Just then, Yukio re-enters the room, courteous smile with a touch of reassurance plastered on his face. "My sincerest apologies for the inconvenience to everyone. The authorities have been notified, so there is no longer any need to worry. We shall continue on with the tour, though it is highly advised that everyone remain close to the group."

Mai stares in disbelief. _What? Continue with the tour? But I thought…_

"Ano, Matsunaga-san, wouldn't it be safer to just leave the premises for now so the authorities could do a thorough search…?"

Yukio's smile is distant and polite. "Actually, the culprit has already been apprehended so there's no need to go to such great extent. Staying together in a group is only a precaution in case there are accomplices hiding inside the premises, but authorities highly doubt it. Inoue-sama himself vouches for everyone's safety."

Before she could protest, Yukio pins her with a look. "There is no need to worry at all, Taniyama-san. It is our deepest regret that you should have to be inconvenienced by such a minor thing, after spending such expenses to travel here and experience this tour. However, if you truly wish to leave, we will not blame you at all, and are free to do so of your own volition."

Mai feels a surge of indignation welling up. _But didn't Naru already explain what's at stake here?! And how dangerous it is to stay? Does he not care?!_

They start heading out of the room to continue with the tour, but Mai can't help but still bristle at his disobedience of Naru's orders. _Oh boy, Naru's gonna be so pissed._

Keiko holds her hand. "Don't worry Mai, I'm sure if they say it's fine, then it's okay, right?"

"Yeah, stop worrying; we'll stick together really close." Michiru adds in a softer tone. "After all, you said you haven't sensed anything dangerous anyway. And this is your birthday; you should just relax and enjoy the trip. We were just joking about asking you for any ghosts around."

Mai sighs. "Just promise me you guys will stick close to me. If one of us has to go to the bathroom, all of us go together." Then she remembers Bou-san's earlier words. "And try not to touch any of the antiques, especially the mirrors."

The girls all share a nervous look at her serious tone.

"Wait," Keiko says uneasily, "So there really _is_ something else here? The stories are all true?"

Mai shakes her head. "No, I'm not sure. But a while ago, Misao-san hadn't been attacked by a thief. She'd been…spooked by a ghost - the ghost of a little girl. The restroom didn't have a lock in it, but it was sealed shut before we came."

Seeing their worried looks, Mai smiles reassuringly. "Don't worry; Naru and the others are already on their way. Besides, it's still light out, I think." All the curtains and lighting throughout the mansion had been set to dim, and they'd only turn on _some_ of the lights upon entering a room. "Spirits are really pretty nocturnal for the most part so I think we're still safe. Come on, we can't get left behind by the group."

They rush forward to close the small distance to the rest of the group. Mai casts a last glance at the empty, dimly lit hallway behind them. The scent of roses is faint in the air, but she could not see a single rose out on the display tables.

 _Please get here quickly, Naru!_

* * *

"So she's really alright?" Ayako asks. The others in the car wait in quiet tension as the miko exchanges a few more words over the phone.

"What did he say?" Takigawa voice is gruff when Ayako finally shuts his phone.

She heaves a heavy sigh. "She's fine. One of the women in her tour group was attacked; I think Naru said she'd been locked in the restroom. Of course, Mai came rushing in, dropping your call. She'd recited your spell only once before the spirit disappeared."

There is a chorus of relieved sighs in the car. John mumbles a, "Thanks be to God," crucifix pendant in hand.

"That crazy girl," Takigawa grumbles, "How many times have we told her _not_ to rush in? Nearly gave me a heart attack."

"Well, given your old age, it wouldn't be a surprise," Ayako comments snidely.

"Psshh, I'm not the only one Mai did a number on." Takigawa takes his eyes off the road for a second to give her a wry look. "Ara, is that a new wrinkle I see beside your eyes?"

There is a pause before they both sigh wearily.

"That girl is so going to get it when we get there." Ayako mutters angrily. For once, Takigawa agrees. John laughs dryly in the back seat. All of them had been on tenterhooks upon learning that Mai had basically entered a demon's lair.

"What kind of friends are they anyway? I thought they were taking Mai out on a break from her job and they take her to some Ghost Walk of all things." Ayako continues.

"How very ironic. I bet Mai was ecstatic." Takigawa quips. They all share a quiet laugh. "This reminds me of last year's Halloween."

Ayako groans. "Oh please don't remind me. I think Naru still hasn't let us live that down yet."

"I only heard a little from Yasuhara-san and Mai-san," John ventures. "Is this when you went to that haunted house attraction and there actually was a spirit?"

"Yes, and I _don't_ wanna talk about it," Ayako snipes. "No offense to you, John."

"None taken, Matsuzaki-san," John replies sincerely. "Perhaps it's Mai-san's luck that she manages to always end up in dangerous situations like these, huh?"

"She's a really nice girl, really," Takigawa says despairingly. "But it's like she's a magnet for danger or something! It doesn't help that she's still not used to her abilities, let alone trust them."

"Well, Mai _is_ still pretty new to the paranormal, considering," John says. "Sometimes I even think that maybe her powers only surfaced through repeated exposure to the paranormal, the ghosts, the exorcisms…the SPR."

In the silence in the car, John's soft voice carries easily. "Sometimes, I wonder what would have happened to Mai if she hadn't met us, or if she hadn't encountered anything of the paranormal… Would her abilities have stayed dormant until... well, I guess forever?"

They all fall silent as they let that possibility stew in their minds. Although they had never discussed this out loud before, Takigawa knew that even Naru and Lin have definitely already mulled over these same thoughts, this 'what if' situation that might have yielded ultimately very different outcomes.

Masako breaks the silence first. "Well, if Mai were to be asked, she probably would have preferred the path that would allow her to meet her second family." The other three share small smiles. "But, I think that had another set of events happened, one where she never met us or became involved with Naru, her powers would eventually still have to surface. As it is, Mai can barely keep herself out of _this_ reality anyway, even if she doesn't consciously seek it out. Mai gets into trouble too easily."

Takigawa snorts. "True that."

* * *

The tour leads them deeper into the house. Despite the anxiety constantly in her subconscious, Mai can't help but be awed by the sheer size and grandeur of each room.

They'd gone into a wide sunroom, with tall glass panes for walls, and a wooden rocking chair in a corner that rocked and creaked on its own. Mai had barely brushed the back of her fingers against it and, feeling an unnaturally cold spot, jerked her hand away before a vision could pull her in.

Then they moved into a small, private dinning room, filled with very detailed wooden furniture; Mai didn't have to know much about the craft to know that a great amount of effort and talent had gone into each piece. The authentic Ming dynasty vase is said to have been smuggled by monks, who were unfortunately raided by pirates at sea. The dark wooden cabinet next to it is apparently made from the planks of another ship, sunk by mermaids or dragons. Mai had been too distracted by the round mirror on the other side of the room to pay attention.

Tyler didn't even deem the last story worthy of verbal lashing. He'd given a derisive snort, and proceeded to plop down on one of the dining chairs. Right next to the ghost of a man who wore a big silver wig despite the youth on his face. Mai bit her lip and pointedly averted her eyes.

As they make their way past another closed room, Mai begins to notice more and more spirits drifting about. She'd only managed to vaguely see shapes or silhouettes of spirits before, so seeing the increasing amount of ghosts with startling clarity bothers her more and more.

She is not idiotic enough to assume these are the doing of her growing abilities. Her nigh-infallible instincts tell her so.

She sees her friends give her worried looks when she suddenly jerks to a stop in the middle of an otherwise empty hallway. They don't see the woman with singed hair and sopping wet dress pass right in front of her.

Mai shakes her head to reassure them, a newfound respect for Masako blooming in her chest.

They enter a ballroom filled with masked ghosts in ball gowns and tuxedoes, and she mentally thanks Lin, Madoka and Naru for investing time to train her. Enough at least that she no longer freaks out (too badly) at the sight of a lingering spirit. Or a couple hundred of them.

It does not escape Mai's notice that it's only now when they've gone deeper inside the mansion that the number of spirits, and the vivid clarity with which she sees them, have increased exponentially. So as the anxiety and trepidation building up in her gut.

"This ballroom is actually a replica of one found in a chateau in France; the three chandeliers are the only originals, some of the few things salvaged from the fire that burned down the original chateau." Yukio turns on a mechanism that lights up the chandeliers without having to lower them one by one. The candle lights amplified by the diamonds and glass pieces that made up the chandelier cast sparkling reflections on the shiny marble floor. "The causes of the fire vary from the many retellings; the only constant was that it burned while there was a masquerade being held in the ballroom. Only a few servants had survived long enough to tell the tale."

Mai winces, catching a glimpse of three children in their own formal wear dancing in a circle by the corner.

They climb up the wide set of steps at the back of the room, leading up to a set of French doors. When Mai makes it to the top, her stomach drops.

Her instincts scream at her to flee, to not enter the room beyond the doors. Something tells her that whatever made the spirits appear more and more lies inside.

 _Could this room possibly be where…whatever it is, is sealed in…?_

Mai practically forces her legs to move forward as Yukio leads the way inside.

"Guys," Michiru, Keiko and Hanako pause at the tone of her voice. "Whatever you do, do _not_ touch anything inside that room. Especially the mirrors."

The girls solemnly nod. None of them could muster the courage to question their friend's strange instructions.

Mai prepares herself to see the room crowded with spirits or something to that effect.

She did not expect the completely empty, silent room that greets her instead.

The room is as big and opulent as the other rooms they've been to. But compared to the ballroom downstairs filled to the brim with lingering spirits, this room is empty and quiet. Mai feels the urge to run away all the more difficult to suppress.

"Welcome to the main study," Yukio says as they all enter the room. Floor to ceiling bookshelves line nearly a third of the room's walls, and a large wooden desk sits in the center. What draws the eye immediately however, is the fireplace.

Its cream stone surface is covered in elaborate and elegantly carved murals. Above, on an equally elaborate stone mantle, hangs a huge rectangular Grecian mirror. The key patterned bronze frame is chipped in places. Mai finds this odd considering the pristine condition of many of the antiques in the house. The two small bronze statues flanking the mirror are only slightly in better shape.

The interlocking maze design threatens to send Mai into a trance-like haze, and she struggles to resist even _looking_ at the mirror. The squirming in her gut is difficult to ignore.

"As you can see, this room has an old Mediterranean theme to it," Yukio gestures to the single tier cast iron chandeliers to the thick wooden beams lining the ceiling. "All to symbolize the origins of more than half the important artifacts in this room. The Grecian mirror you see perched on the mantle is one of the oldest in this mansion, dating back to the 1400s."

He then proceeds to narrate a story about the vain lady who'd been raped and killed by rebels. "It is said that out of spite, she'd used the mirror as a gateway to the spirit world to drag the souls of her attackers with her. Stories go that from that moment onwards, this mirror has become a permanent portal to the realm of lingering spirits. Some people, upon looking into the mirror, would claim to see souls of their departed loved ones, beckoning them to cross over."

"What remains to be true about this cursed mirror, is that it no amount of repair done on it restores it to its original splendor. Any attempt done to fix it would be found to be _un_ done the very next day. Therefore I cannot stress enough how important it is that those who wish to inspect the mirror, do it with utmost care and caution."

Some of them step forward to take a closer look of the Grecian mirror. The skeptic Tyler being one of them. Words of caution hang on the tip of her tongue. But for the life of her, Mai can't seem to work her mouth long enough to utter the frantic words reverberating inside her.

 _Don't touch the mirror. Don't touch the mirror!_

"Are you sure it's alright to touch that thing? It looks like it's about to fall apart." Hanako's words freeze Tyler's hand in mid air.

The group turns to the benign butler-slash-guide standing off to the side. "Although we are certain enough that it is safe to display, we cannot guarantee that an untrained handling of it will not damage it."

Tyler makes a noise at the back of his throat. "I was not going to touch it that hard. I only meant to see frame more clearly." Squinting closer, he reaches a single finger to the bronze frame. "It seems almost as if there are inscriptions in the key patterns…but I can't see clearly if it's some type of Greek writing…"

His finger rubs lightly on the frame, too sudden for Mai to stop.

"No, stop!" Mai squeaks involuntarily, and Tyler jerks away his hand, startled.

 _No. Oh god no._

Her breath freezes in her lungs, and eyes wide. Everybody in the room freezes, eyes trained on the Grecian mirror.

…But nothing happens, and quietly, they all sigh a breath of relief. Not a chip out of place can be found on the fragile piece of antique. Dutifully, Yukio leads them to the miniature wooden ship enclosed in one of the many glass cases on the other side of the room.

It is a completely different scenario for Mai. If her instincts had been nagging her to leave, they are now downright yelling at her to drop all things and flee.

That moment, when Tyler had taken a finger to the tiny inscriptions, there had been a subtle shift in the air, like a quiet hiss from opening a long forgotten wine cellar. The brunette can only assume her powers had allowed her to sense that; the others remain oblivious.

She edges closer to the group, only barely paying attention to the latest ghost story. She just can't bring herself to turn her eyes away from the ominous mirror.

 _I hope whatever was used to seal this thing in the mirror wasn't related in any major way to those inscriptions…_

They exit the study through a different door, which opened into a hallway where an old grandfather clock stood at the far end. A narrower set of stairs lie next to it.

The spirits flitting in between rooms seem more agitated… _or are they excited_?

It is only when they reach the landing of the next floor that Mai realizes with a sickening punch to the gut, that there are now only nine of them in the tour group.

In fact, Uesugi Misao hadn't even exited the study room with them.

* * *

A/N. Hey guys!

I'm so terribly sorry! I really, honestly, swear to God, meant to upload this last Monday (as per usual). But then lack of sleep and academics got in the way... The usual reasons, really. Still, I apologize for the delay.

It's another, more subtle cliffhanger (I think?). It's going to get more intense, in the next couple of chapters... And hopefully, I'll be able to update at least once every week (even if it's no longer on the same day). Academic requirements, I think, have temporarily driven my muse out of my mind, so I'm having a bit of trouble with completing the other chapters. T.T

Anyway, thoughts on this chapter? Or on the whole story in general so far? I think it's pretty much cliche, but I hope you'll still find interest in it. Thank you, and 'til next week!

-Miss March Muffin


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt. All rights to Fuyumi Ono. The following story is a work of fiction; any similar names that may appear are coincidental and not deliberate.

* * *

Chapter 4.

A Series of Unfortunate Events.

Kanzaki Rika notices just a second later.

"Hang on, where's Misao?" The group pauses, and as eyes make rounds over those present, they come to the same conclusion.

Uesugi Misao is not there with them.

With an uneasy smile, Rika makes for the stairs. "Hold on, maybe she just got sidetracked downstairs. I'll go get her."

Mai quickly follows after the older woman, and her friends stick close to her heels.

"Misao? Misao? Are you there? You're delaying the group, come on!" Rika calls, wrenching open the door to the study.

The room is just as empty and silent as when they had entered it not even half an hour ago.

"Misao…?" Rika falters, her panic finally overtaking her. "Misao? Misao! Misao, answer me?"

Mai can hear her heart thundering in her ears. _Oh no._

The others from their group have come down and helped in the search, calling after the missing woman. But the hallways are empty on both sides. The other doors they passed in the hallway are still locked shut, and void of people when Yukio opens them.

Tyler suddenly kneels down on the carpet in front of the fireplace.

"Kanzaki-san," He calls out, eyes trained on something in his palm. A white gold ring with diamond studs.

"T-that's her engagement ring," Rika's voice is trembling, clutching the piece of jewelry in her hands. "It's slightly bigger than her finger, and sometimes slips off. She and her fiancé were going to get it adjusted tonight."

The woman sobs. "Oh god, what if the person from awhile ago had attacked her again?"

"Please calm down," Tyler places a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure Uesugi-san is here somewhere, we'll find her."

Mai finds it hard to swallow. It almost sounds cruel, but the brunette almost hoped that Misao _had_ indeed been attacked by a thief.

The alternative is too much to bear.

The voice of her instincts had turned quiet but no less certain as it utters the answer to their question.

 _Uesugi Misao is gone_. _He took her._

Mai is pretty sure 'he' did not pertain to anything living.

* * *

Upon reaching Yokohama City, Naru had a foreboding feeling that something was about to cause a hindrance.

Five minutes later, a few kilometers ahead, a child tugs free from his mother's grip and crosses the street right in front of a ten-wheeler truck. The truck dodges the child safely, but swerves headlong into oncoming traffic, resulting in a car accident involving five different vehicles.

Fifteen minutes later, the SPR company van reaches a standstill in the middle of bumper-to-bumper traffic.

Naru barely resists the urge to slam his head onto the dashboard.

 _Of all the goddamn things…_ He curse, eyes on the digital clock in front of him. Quickly working out the numbers in his head, Naru knows without a doubt that it would take at least an _hour_ before they could even reach the foot of Mt. Oyama. It's been forty-two minutes since his call with Mai, and they'd have easily kept to the scheduled arrival at four o'clock had this incident not have happened.

As it is, forty-two minutes is plenty of time for something to have happened again. The young man would not put it past Mai - or her innate inability to keep from getting into dangerous situations - to have found trouble in the time that had elapsed.

The worry that had been festering in him grows a bit more pronounced. Lin notices his charge's growing agitation, and grimly admits the merit behind such worries.

Taniyama Mai has, by far, been the most danger-prone individual the onmyouji has ever met. But even more than that, Lin knows very well Naru's own propensity for reckless behavior where the young Japanese woman is concerned.

As it is, the young CEO's patience is already wearing thin; Lin would not put it past him, at this point in time, to tap into his PK to shove off the other vehicles slowing them down.

Naru scowls unseeingly into the side view mirror, until his eyes register the dissimilar expression on his reflection.

He tenses, focusing on their bond.

 _Gene._

' _Noll, you've got to hurry. Something's happened; it won't be long now before the demon breaks the seal.'_

 _What?!_ Although Naru _had_ indeed calculated for something like this to happen soon, he did not expect it to happen hours ahead of time.

 _How did that happen? Mr. Anderson should have been able to hold it off for a few more hours, at the very least!_

Gene's voice is frustrated. _'One of the guests tampered with the inscription. The seal is breaking at the seams._

 _Bloody idiot._ Naru fumes. _Weren't they supposed to have evacuated the premises now?_

Ah, but then Naru remembers the attitude the client had with regards to their investigation. No doubt, his orders had been brushed off.

 _Damn bloody idiots, the lot of them._ He curses. He feels Gene's equally frustrated state.

' _There's more,'_ Gene adds grimly. _'One of them has gone missing already.'_

Naru stops breathing for a moment. He's almost too afraid to ask, even as his rational brain methodically counters that _no, Gene would have said that first if that_ was _what happened…_

… _Who?_

' _It's not Mai; don't worry.'_ Naru forces himself to breathe deeply. _'But the entity has twigged on Mai's powers. It won't be long before it starts actively targeting her.'_

"Noll!" Lin barks sharply as the car radio powered on and off. "Get a hold of yourself."

Naru grits his teeth as he forces the mental blocks to stabilize his powers. His hands clench into tight fists, the skin white over his knuckles. Once the heavy barriers are reinforced once more, he pinches the bridge of his nose, going over breathing exercises.

"What's wrong?" The Chinese onmyouji asks worriedly.

"We need to hurry, _now._ " Naru stresses. "Things have gotten worse."

Lin asks no more. In a move that Naru is _sure_ isn't quite legal, Lin maneuvers the van into a side street. He makes no complaints though, as he calls Ayako's phone.

 _Gene-_

' _I know, little brother. You don't even have to say it.'_

* * *

The group slowly retraces their steps around the mansion, checking every room for any sign of Misao. Mai casts worried looks at Rika, whose face is still pale and twisted in fear and worry.

"Does this mansion, by any chance, have any secret rooms or whatever?" One of the other women in their group, Oohara Kana, asks their taciturn guide. "I mean, it's possible that maybe Uesugi-san accidentally got trapped in a secret room somewhere, that's why we can't find her anywhere, right?"

"If there are any such hidden rooms in this place," Her fiancée, Tachibana Hiko points out.

"Ah, that's true… But don't they always have secret rooms and hidden hallways in places like this in movies?"

"Although your reasoning is a bit unreliable," Tyler says wryly, "It's likely that there _are_ probably things like that in a mansion this old. Judging by the eccentricity of the original owner of this place, I wouldn't put it past him to have secret rooms and passages built in this mansion."

They all turn to look at Yukio.

He clears his throat. "Things like hidden rooms and passageways…unfortunately someone like me is not privy to such information. I know not whether there are such things, moreover how to access them. Such information, only the master of the house knows."

They all express their disappointment.

"Ano," The girl accompanying Tyler, speaks up. "Would it be possible for us to at least try and look for ourselves? It shouldn't be anything too complex, if Uesugi-san was able to stumble upon it by accident."

"I would have to ask the master of the house first, although I highly doubt it would be appropriate to have guests do such snooping around. I myself do not feel comfortable with the thought of strangers prodding and touching delicate and expensive antiques."

 _So your master's antiques are much more valuable to you than human lives?_ Mai fumes silently.

"In the meantime, please take a rest here first," Yukio opens yet another door to another sitting room, this one filled with rugs and carpets and tapestries in colorful designs and elaborate patterns. The alcoves on one side of the room, and the wooden divider screens are reminiscent of Turkish or Arabian cultures.

"Refreshments and snacks shall be sent up here momentarily. I shall notify the master of the situation."

Rika drops heavily onto one of the sofas, burying her face into her hands. Mai feels a wave of sympathy when the woman's shoulders shake in silent sobs. The room bathes in a tense and awkward silence.

Servants come in again bearing trays of tea and biscuits, and small rolls of warm and cold towels.

Unable to take it anymore, Mai grabs a cup and approaches Rika.

"Would you like some tea to calm you down, Kanzaki-san?" She asks softly, a comforting hand on the woman's back.

With a sniff, the woman gratefully takes a sip of the warm tea.

"Don't worry; we'll find Uesugi-san, for sure." Assures the college girl from her other side. "She's probably fine; just lost. Matsunaga-san said so earlier, right? That the attacker from earlier was already dealt with? So I'm sure there's really no need to worry."

Mai winces inwardly. _But the attacker earlier has_ not _been dealt with…_

Nonetheless, Rika takes the offered comfort in stride. "Thank you… I'm sorry, but what's your name again?"

"Miyaka; Matsunai Miyaka. Please call me Miyaka."

"Thank you Miyaka-chan."

Mai excuses herself and joins her friends.

"Mai-chan, is everything alright?" Michiru asks worriedly, keeping their voices soft.

Hanako looks at her somberly. "You know what happened to Uesugi-san, don't you? That's why you were so uppity in that room with the mirror…"

Mai sighs. "I don't know for sure what exactly happened to Uesugi-san," she bites her lip. "But all I can say is that she's been taken…by whatever is in this mansion, the reason why Naru took this case so suddenly. I'm not too sure with the details, but some colleague of Naru's had come here already to deal with…the issue. But then for some reason, they weren't able to finish everything, so Naru's come here to finish the job."

Mai watches her friends take in the information.

"As for the mirror… Well, I felt as though something bad was going to happen if something happened to that mirror. Even being in that room was making me feel uneasy."

Keiko smiles uneasily, "While I'd like to believe it's just paranoia, I don't dare discount your 'feelings' after that yakisoba bread incident during our second year."

Mai, Michiru and Hanako all smile as they recalled that incident. Keiko hadn't listened when Mai commented on having a feeling that the school store food would be no good that day. For the next three days, she, along with several other students and faculty members were on sick leave with food poisoning.

"I'm still so thankful for that tip, Mai," Hanako jokes, trying to lighten the atmosphere. "I would've missed the chance to play nurse with Touya-kun."

"No matter what Mai, we'll believe in you." Michiru says. "Just tell us what to do."

Mai smiles gratefully.

When Keiko expresses her need for the restroom, the four girls excuse themselves and head to the powder room across the hall. It's larger than the one earlier; there are three stalls, a velvet sofa and stools along the elegant white vanity.

"I will never understand the way rich people think," Michiru says, going into a stall. The toilets are updated (thankfully), and they even have the ones with eco-friendly flush system.

Mai laughs. "You and me, both." She and Hanako take seats on the velvet sofa, looking at the décor in the room.

"Man, so much eccentricity for a bathroom," Hanako says. "I don't even think I'd dare take a dump here."

Their laughs are cut short when the room drops temperature. Mai tenses, and Hanako reflexively grips her arm. Childish laughter echoes around the room. The heavy scent of roses makes Mai's nose itch.

"Just try to remain calm, okay, Hanako?" Mai whispers.

The lights flicker once, twice, and the faucets turn open at full blast. Mai steadies herself, Bou-san's chant on the tip of her tongue.

" _Ring-o, ring-o roses…"_

"M-Mai…?"

" _A pocketful of posies…"_

There, in the mirror, a figure begins to form… long brown hair and pale white skin. A twisted smile stretches her lips impossibly wide. The smell of roses is so strong, making both the girls gag and cough.

"… _Ashes…ashes…"_

 _This is bad_ , Mai curses. _I can't chant like this!_ A putrid smell mixes in with the smell of roses, and it burns her nose, and makes her head ache.

Somehow, the girl in the mirror has vanished, but the laughter and the horrid smell permeates the room still.

Mai clutches Hanako's hand tightly, her eyes squinting around the room. And then in the blink of an eye, the girl is standing mere feet in front of them.

Her eye sockets are hollowed out, endless black gouges on her face. Mai's blood freezes in her veins. The girl points a pale finger at them.

 _Come and play with me soon._

* * *

Hiko and Kana walk down the empty hall, checking for any unlocked doors.

"Ne, are you sure it's alright?" Kana whines. "Maybe we should go back. What if we run into the attacker?"

"Oh don't be such a wuss." Hiko retorts, peeking around the corner of the dark hallway. "We won't even take long."

He turns to leer at her. "Ten minutes will be good enough for now."

Kana blushes red. "Mou, you insatiable pervert!"

"You're not really complaining, are you?" Kana pouts, cheeks a deep red.

The door behind them opens with a creak.

"Eeek!" Kana squeals, hiding behind Hiko. When no one comes out, they sigh in relief. Hiko peeks in first, checking for anyone else.

"Oh sweet! It's one of those fancy ass bedrooms," He goes in, and Kana follows in cautiously.

The bed is a queen size made with dark cherry wood with a lacey canopy. There's a sofa set and a small coffee table in front of a fireplace.

Hiko doesn't even bother turning up the lights. He closes the door and throws Kana on the bed, and then proceeds to make out with her.

The couple doesn't even notice when the meager lights from the lamps go out.

"Hiko," She breathes out, "It's so cold…"

He brushes her off. "Shh, it'll get pretty hot for you soon."

But not too long later, Kana can no longer ignore the uneasy feeling in her chest even as Hiko pleasures her with his touches and kisses. The feeling that someone was watching them is quickly turning her off.

It doesn't take Hiko long to notice. "What's the matter with you?"

"I… I don't think we should do this anymore…" Kana starts pulling her back on.

"What? Why? Did I do anything wrong?"

"No! No, it's just…" The hair on the back of her neck prickles, and the fear makes her panicky. "I really don't feel comfortable here… It's so creepy-"

A sudden noise cuts her off. The couple falls silent. The room feels unbearably cold - _way_ colder than when they entered. A sound like scuttling feet echoes around the room, making it hard to tell where it's coming from.

"D-Did you hear that?" Kana feels like crying. Hiko stands up slowly, only then noticing the fully extinguished lighting from the room.

"Who's there?"

"Hiko, I'm s-scared. L-let's get out of here, please?" Her body trembles, feeling the weight of a thousand invisible eyes on her skin. The room is dark, and she could barely see Hiko's outline an arm's reach away.

With shaking hands, she reaches out to him…but her hand only meets air.

"H-Hiko?" She calls out, but the silhouette from earlier has blended in with the darkness of the room. "Hiko? Come on, this isn't f-funny…c-cut it out…"

A hand touches her shoulder. "H-H-Hiko…?"

"Kana…"

She freezes. The voice came from in front of her… But the hand on her shoulder is coming from behind her. She tears up, her heartbeat pounding in her ears.

"H-Hiko?" She calls out again. The hand on her shoulder tightens.

"…Kana…" She sees the faint outline of Hiko's body again in front of her. _T-then…this hand…it's not Hiko's…_

Her heart in her throat, Kana turns her head around. There is nothing but darkness - no body heat, no shadow, not even a dip in the mattress or the sound of breathing. Just the hand gripping painfully on her shoulder.

She screams, jumping away from the bed, heading straight for where Hiko seems to be. Her hand touches the familiar texture of his shirt, and she leans into him, crying.

Instead of his scent, the smell of blood hits her nose, and a wet hot something presses against her face.

"H-hiko? What's wrong? Say something, Hiko!" She tugs at his shirt, but he remains silent.

 _Come to think of it, he didn't even react when she screamed…_

His body suddenly leans into her, and the strange warm wetness spreads onto her clothes, trickles down her forearms. His suddenly limp body catches her by surprise, and they fall to the ground.

"H-Hiko, you're heavy!" She pushes him hard and he finally topples beside her. Unmoving, completely silent.

"H-Hiko?"

The smell of blood is heavy and nauseating. Bile rises in her throat. _No…No…_ She doubles over, retching violently.

 _This isn't real. This isn't real. This isn't real! Wakeupwakeupwakeup-_

" _Silly woman, doesn't even realize her lover is dead…"_ She freezes. Several white sneering eyes surround her, their figures indistinguishable in the dark.

"No…no…no…!" She sobs hysterically. Disembodied hands grab at her, clutching her arms, her shoulders, her legs, her feet, dragging her towards the white-eyed shadows. "No! No! Let go of me! Let go! Hiko! Hiko! Hiko, help me! Hiko!"

 _NO!_

* * *

A/N.

Okay, first, I apologize for the extreeemeelyyy long wait. I'll save you the excuses. But I do really apologize. I thought I'd be able to finish this before August was over, and then, BOOM. It's now November.

Second, yes, I know, it's a cliffhanger. Again. This, I don't really feel sorry for. Hahaha. Well, we all saw it coming, didn't we? I mean, how many horror/gore/slash films have showed that, _no,_ having a lovers' tryst in a reportedly haunted building is not a good idea. Well, you can add this fic to that list.

Thanks for reading, drop a review, and I'll see what I can do to upload the next one soon.


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt. All rights to Fuyumi Ono.

* * *

Chapter 5.

From Bad to Worse.

"Mai-chan? Hanako-chan?"

Mai and Hanako jump, faces pale and eyes wide. Keiko looks at them worriedly, Michiru just slightly behind wearing a similar expression.

The smell of roses had disappeared, as well as the apparition. The lamps give a steady soft light to the powder room. It's as though nothing had happened at all. The only things that remain are the goosebumps all over her arms and the loud pounding of her heart.

"Mai-chan? Hanako-chan? Is something wrong? Did something happen?"

"We heard you talking outside, and then the lamps flickered a bit and you two were so quiet." Michiru adds. "For a minute, we thought you'd left or something…"

Mai breathes shakily, looking at Hanako. "The girl... there was a ghost…just now. The same one that appeared to Uesugi-san, I think."

"What?" Michiru moves closer. "But we didn't see anything - or feel anything. Didn't you say that it would get colder if a ghost appeared?"

"But it did, didn't it?" Keiko turns to Michiru, uncertainly. "Well, for a second, didn't it feel freezing cold all of a sudden? I thought I was imagining things, because it happened so quickly and then went back to normal."

"I, I don't know." Mai shakes her head in confusion. "But just a minute ago…didn't you say the lights flickered? Well, for us it did too…only, it got colder, and then it the scent of roses was so strong…and something burning."

"It was so creepy," Hanako finally whispers, her voice thin. "She pointed at us…or me…and said something like, ' _Come and play with me soon.'_ "

Her fingers tremble, and Mai tightens her grip comfortingly, then belatedly realizing they haven't let go of each other yet. It worries Mai and her friends that the usually confident and enthusiastic Hanako is now reduced to a shell-shocked,

"We really have to get out of here. We need to leave." Mai says grimly. If it had really been the same ghost as the one that appeared to Misao awhile ago - and considering what happened to Misao not even two hours after that - then Mai is not going to wait for the same thing to happen to her friend.

"Come on," She stands up. "We need to get back to others. I need to convince them to leave too."

But the moment they enter the room, Mai is hit by an ominous, sick feeling. Only Tyler, Miyaka and Rika are in the room. Dread settles like lead on her stomach.

"Where are the others?" She asks faintly.

Tyler looks up. "They went out of the room about, I don't know, ten, fifteen minutes ago? Right after you girls went out, actually." He adds dryly, "By the look on the guy's face, they probably snuck out for a little quickie somewhere."

The other women in the group blush at the blatant insinuation. But Mai couldn't get herself to relax enough to breathe.

The door opens behind them, and Yukio enters with two other people in tow. Neither of them are Kana or Hiko. They are both men, one older than the other with a cane in hand. The other one remains one step behind the older one.

"Everyone, this is Inoue Setsuya, Master of The Shichi Mansion, and his assistant, Mitsutaka Hisoka-san" Yukio introduces. Everyone stands to give a polite greeting and bow.

"It's a pleasure to meet everyone," Setsuya says, smiling. "I would have liked to say that I was hoping you were enjoying this tour, but given the circumstances, I do not expect you to be."

He turns to Rika. "I truly am deeply sorry for you and your friend's experience. Rest assured that we are doing everything in our power to search for Uesugi Misao-san."

Then, he looks around the room once more, then turns to Yukio. "Are these all the other people in your group assignment?"

Yukio blinks. "Ah, no, sir. It seems Tachibana Hiko-san and Oohara Kana-san are not within this room at the moment."

"Do you know where they went? I need to have everyone else regrouped. The specialists we've contacted have requested that the mansion be evacuated in order to conduct their investigation."

Mai's heart soars. Does that mean Naru has arrived? Looking at her friends' faces, they too, share her relief at the prospect.

"Sir-" Yukio falls silent at the stern look Setsuya shoots him.

"You've hired specialists?" Tyler asks. "Isn't that a bit too presumptuous of you, Inoue-san? Usually, professional, thorough searches for missing persons are only entertained after at least 48 hours… That is, if I'm not mistaken with regards to official protocol."

"I am aware of how official protocols go about such situations, and you are not mistaken at all. However, this mansion is my property, and the tours are under my supervision. My priorities are the guests, and the property. I'd rather not wait for things to escalate such that intervention of the police will be needed. Not only to save face, but also in genuine concern for the guests' wellbeing."

Setsuya maintains his professional façade, but Mai doesn't miss the slightly uneasy expressions on the other two "butlers". Nor does Tyler, it seems, but he doesn't say more.

"Yukio, Hisoka," Setsuya turns to the two butlers. "Please go an search for the two other missing guests. I'm sure they haven't wandered too far away."

The two leave at once.

"Thank you so much for your efforts." Rika bows. "I'm sure it must be an inconvenience to you."

"Not at all, Kanzaki-san. It is my duty and honor to look after the wellbeing of all those who enter my mansion."

"Wow, what a flowery guy," Hanako whispers to Mai. "Although it just makes him seem so suspicious to me. He's like the wolf in grandma's clothes from Red Riding Hood. All welcome-y before striking for the kil. All the more that this is _his_ creepy, ostentatious mansion."

Mai hides a smile. At least Hanako seems to have recovered enough to joke around. But her words strike something in her. _Like a wolf in grandma's clothes_. Her earlier thoughts hadn't been too off the mark.

' _Like she was entering the witch's lair and was being ushered courteously to the dinner table…as food.'_

Looking at Setsuya though, the brunette feels a twinge in her heart - something akin to pity and sympathy, but there is also distrust and caution blurring it.

These times when her super-perception makes her feel complicated things without knowing why, make her wish she _wasn't_ an esper. Life would be a ton easier for her that way…maybe. Then again…

 _Never mind._

Yukio and Hisoka return with grim and pale expressions, making a beeline for Setsuya.

"Sir, we were unable to find Tachibana-san or Oohara-san, however…" Hisoka hesitates. "I'm afraid you'll have to come and see for yourself."

"…Very well." Setsuya says finally. "Everyone, I request that you all not leave this room. We shall return shortly."

"Do you think something bad has happened?" Keiko asks worriedly.

"Maybe," Tyler's face is grim. "The attacker has finally left a victim in a critical state."

The room falls completely silent.

"Should we go and find out what's happened?" Miyaka asks hesitantly.

Tyler looks torn, looking among the faces of the other girls. He was the only male in the group now, and chances are, if they're caught by surprise by the culprit, he wouldn't be able to do much at all… Add that to the fact that his thirst for sleuthing is urging him to snoop around as well…

But he isn't willing to let anybody be exposed to danger.

With a frustrated sigh, he ruffles his hair. "We need to get out of here. I don't know why they haven't even cancelled this whole thing the moment Misao-san was attacked."

Mai sighs in relief.

"Well then, ladies?" Tyler heads for the door. "If Inoue-san and the others are close by, we can notify them. But otherwise, let's just head straight for the reception hall, is that okay with everyone?"

Everyone nods. "Ah, wait, but," Rika says. "Do you know the way back? We might get lost if we don't have Matsunaga-san to guide us…"

"Don't worry, ma'am," Tyler taps his head. "I've already memorized the way we came from."

Miyaka smiles reassuringly when Rika turns to her. "Don't worry, Kanzaki-san. He's one of the top students in our program, and he's known his photographic memory. If he says he's got it memorized, then we won't get lost."

"He's hot _and_ _super_ smart," Hanako whispers. "I call that a plus!"

Mai rolls her eyes.

At that moment, Mai's stomach drops. When Tyler tries to open the door, it's locked tight. "What the hell?"

"Tyler?" Miyaka approaches him. "What's wrong?"

"It's locked shut."

The others exclaim their shock, but Mai is frozen in place, slightly trembling. Something shifts from the corner of her eyes. Mai whirls around, facing the windows. With the sunset streaming in through the windows, the shadows it casts are long and tilted to the left…except one, defiantly shifting the opposite direction, resolutely darker than the rest.

Tyler tries to kick the door open, and the loud bangs resonate with Mai's own heartbeat.

"OI! OPEN THE DOOR!" Tyler yells, punctuating his shouts with kicks and fists. "Is anybody out there? Open the damn door!"

Hanako is the second to notice the shadow. Her loud gasp jerks everybody's attention, and jars Mai from her shock.

"What the hell-?!"

Quickly, everyone huddles closer together towards the door, and Mai places herself between the shadow and her friends.

The shadow amasses in size, sucking in all the shadows in the room. The moment it moved towards them, Mai begins to chant. First the _Fudou Myouou in_ and then she follows through with the _kuji_ , willing all her strength into each movement.

 _Rin! Pyou! Tou! Sha! Kai! Jin! Retsu! Zai! Zen!_

The shadow stops an arms length away, but does not disappear. Mai quickly backtracks and changes her hand position to repeat the mantra. Disfigured arms sprout from the shadow and wrap around her wrists tightly.

Mai vaguely hears her friends scream, drowning out her own cry. Her wrists throb painfully as the shadow - spirit - _thing_ \- lifts her up off the floor.

 _Somebody…! Help!_

Mai clenches her eyes shut, tears escaping her lids. _Naru!_

A familiar sharp whistle breaks through the din, and Mai opens her eyes just in time to see Lin's shiki attacking the entity. The arms let go of her wrist, and she drops to the ground in a trembling heap.

"Mai!"

Among the panicked cries of her friends, Mai hears his voice and she closes her eyes in relief, a few more tears spilling down her cheeks. _Naru's here. Lin's here. Oh thank god they're here._

"Mai, are you alright?" Mai manages to lift herself on shaky arms. Naru is crouching beside her, with the others hovering nearby and Lin standing at attention, muttering something under his breath.

 _Probably a spell or something…_

"Mai?"

Mai finally nods, sucking in a deep breath of composure. Now that the adrenaline is draining from her system, the young brunette feels little more than a heap of jelly.

"I'll be okay," She tries for a watery smile, wiping her cheeks. Then, she turns to the onmyouji. "Thanks Lin; I owe you another one."

The taciturn Chinese man merely nods, but his eyes are warm. Naru stands up, a bit of tension releasing from his shoulders. He turns his back to the other people in the room and closes his eyes, quickly summoning some composure.

 _Mai's okay. She's fine. She's safe…_

He hears her friends hover over her, and hears her reassure them and ask about their wellbeing in return.

Lin approaches him. "The shadow earlier was merely an extension of the demon's self." He reports quietly. "Probably an enslaved spirit; my shiki have successfully exorcised it and I've erected a temporary shield around our group."

Naru nods. Turning, he addresses the group. (He's relieved to see Mai up and recovered, although her complexion is still a bit off…) "It's best that we vacate this mansion right now. It's almost sundown."

Mai interjects an explanation. "Spirits are naturally nocturnal - or at the very least, are more active in the dark. The attacks earlier are most likely just a fraction of its power. It's best that we leave now before it gets to full power."

"Wait a minute, do you _actually_ believe," Tyler says, "That whatever's behind all these is a _spirit_?"

"With what just happened in front of your very eyes mere minutes ago, I'm surprised you still find it hard to believe." Naru replies condescendingly. Then he surveys the disarrayed room dispassionately. "Mai, where are Inoue-san and your tour guides?"

"Actually, we don't know," Mai bites her lip. "They went out a little while ago to search for the two others in our group, Tachibana-san and Oohara-san. But…"

Naru notes her hesitation. _Something's happened to either Inoue-san or the ones from her group._

"What's happened here?" As if summoned by thought, Setsuya appears by the doors, closely trailed by Yukio and Hisoka.

Naru steps forward. "There has been another incident. I will explain later. For now, we must vacate this mansion immediately. Nobody should be left inside."

Mai couldn't blame Setsuya for his bewilderment. "Wha…What?"

"It's not safe here anymore. Unless you want to die, we need to leave this building." Mai could practically see the waves of tension and frustration rolling off of Naru's frame. " _Now._ "

Mai barely represses the shiver that goes down her spine at his icy tone. She feels a wave of sympathy for Setsuya and the two butler-guides. There is just no arguing with Naru in that state.

* * *

"Ne, Naru," Mai begins in a low voice as they walk down the hallway. They are bringing up the rear of the group, as Naru had ordered Lin to lead in case of any trouble. "How'd you get to the room we were in before? I mean, sure you'd have heard the racket we were making…but this place is _huge!_ And you've never been here before either, have you?"

Naru suppresses a smirk. "That's because I'm not you, Mai."

"Hey!" Mai smacks his arm. "Seriously, answer me."

He sighs. "There are things called blueprints, Mai. And security cameras."

"Security cameras? Huh, I didn't notice them while touring…"

"I'm not surprised."

Mai pouts. "Why are you so _mean_ to me? I already made you two whole thermoses full of your favorite tea! That should've tided you over until I got back. You can't possibly have finished it all."

When Naru remains silent, Mai pauses. "Wait, you _did_ find those thermoses, right?"

"…Why?" Naru's voice is so low and quiet, that Mai barely catches the question.

"Huh?"

"You always complain when I tell you to make me tea even though you're paid to do it. And yet when you take days off of work, you voluntarily make tea when I did not ask you to."

Mai is shocked into silence, more from his tone than his words. Naru sounded sincerely confounded, and over her making him tea!

She holds in a snort. _Oh dear, he really is an idiot scientist…_

Thinking she wasn't going to answer him, Naru huffs irritably. "Never mind. Forget-"

Mai briefly touches his hand. "It's called a favor, Naru." She smiles, her eyes twinkling. "It's what people do for the people they care about."

He doesn't reply, and she didn't expect him to. Sensing his need for space, she walks ahead to join her friends, falling into step with Hanako.

"I heard that, you sap," Hanako teases. Mai blushes horribly, now feeling slightly mortified by her own actions.

 _Oh God, if he rejects me again, I don't know what I'll do… Argh, why did I have to do that! Now it'll become obvious that I still have feelings for him…!_ And then a more depressing yet more likely possibility. _He'll probably think I'm misplacing my feelings for Gene with him._

… _Oh why does he have to be such an idiot scientist!_

"You know, for the record," Hanako says lowly. "Shibuya-kun was really worried a while ago."

At Mai's doubtful look, she smiles. "You should have seen him; all pale and frantic, rushing in like a knight in - well, black armor. He went straight for you while the tall man fought that thing."

Mai would have liked to believe her, but she just can't picture Naru looking panicky over her… No, it just isn't possible.

"You've got it all wrong. It's more likely that he was against having to look for another assistant who can make him a good cup of tea… Or that his pride wouldn't let him accept the fact that he failed at protecting his employee under his watch."

… _Yeah, that sounds like Naru-logic._

Hanako gives her a look.

"What?"

Her friend rolls her eyes. "Now I don't know who's more of an idiot - him or you."

Mai narrows her eyes, and then decides to change the topic completely. "Hey, are you really okay? I mean, with the attack a while ago…and what happened earlier…"

Hanako sighs. "Honestly Mai, I'm starting to have a new respect for you, dealing with things like that all the time. Aren't you scared?"

"It's not always _that_ scary…" Her friend raises an eyebrow. "…Okay, most of the time it _does_ get scary. But most of the time, these spirits are just as disturbed as people are. Some of them just need someone to listen to their stories, their regrets… They don't always mean to harm."

"So what, you're like a ghost psychiatrist now?"

Mai snorts. "I guess you can call it that. But I'm no expert, believe me. Anyway, you haven't answered my question. Don't think I didn't notice, missy."

"Oh fine. You used to be so easy to distract, you know? Ow-!" Hanako rubs her abused arm. "I'm fine…well, a little shaken up but fine. We're getting out of here anyway, right? And then you guys will go do your ghost-busting business and we'll go back to celebrating your birthday."

"Let's just stay on the beach for the rest of the weekend, okay? No more haunted houses."

"Oh definitely. No more haunted houses for now. Especially when all the hot guys are taken."

Mai shakes her head. But if Hanako was already making jokes like that, then she probably really is okay now.

They make their way down a narrow staircase (thankfully they didn't have to pass through the room with the mirror) and through a short hallway that Mai later realizes leads to the wide circular foyer.

The hallway seems to be like a pantry of some sort, lined with glass cabinets filled with fancy china. Beyond the stone arching doorway, she sees the wide marble floors and the crystal chandelier that greeted them earlier.

As they pass through, Mai is once again struck with foreboding. A hint of roses tickles her nose, and she instinctively clutches Hanako's hand, startling her friend.

"Mai?"

Lin, from the front of the group, turns abruptly. "Naru!"

Naru tenses in acknowledgement. "Everybody hurry! Out of the mansion, _now!_ "

Startled, the group pause and hesitate. Loud deafening bangs erupt from the walls around them, jarring them from their stupor.

"Run!" And like a gunshot, they all spring forward racing for the front doors.

From behind them, the china cabinets rattle loudly. The floor seems to vibrate underneath their feet. Mai practically pushes Keiko and Michiru to go faster, dragging Hanako after her.

Her instincts forbid her from letting go of Hanako's hand.

She tries to desperately ignore the childish laughter ringing in her ears. _Rosemarie._

Mai tugs frantically at Hanako's hand, willing her to run faster. Everyone else has passed through the doors. Naru is holding them open, and they almost make it.

Just as Mai gets through the doors, Hanako jerks to a stop, nearly tearing Mai's arm from its socket.

"Hanako-chan…?" She turns back horrified. Rosemarie is grinning, clinging onto Hanako's shoulders, practically choking her friend.

"Hanako!" She races back inside the doors.

"Mai, no!" Naru tries to go after her, but Lin grabs him back and they barely dodge the sharp wind sickles. The front doors shut with a resounding boom.

"MAI!"

* * *

"Where's Mai?" Takigawa asks immediately upon entering the reception hall.

The remaining five members of the tour group occupy the sitting area, wrapped in shock blankets. Takigawa recognizes two of them to be Mai's high school friends. Across them, Naru has his back to the door, with Lin and two other personnel. They'd all turn to look at the newcomers, but makes an effort to reply.

The heavy tension in the air is answer enough. Takigawa feels his insides hollow. "No…"

Ayako and Masako share horrified gasps. John mutters a prayer.

"You…!" Within seconds, Takigawa rushes to Naru, his fist connecting firmly with the young man's jaw. Naru stumbles back from the force, but doesn't do anything.

" _Houshou!" "Shibuya-san!"_ The other occupants in the room look on in shock.

"Takigawa-san, control yourself!" Lin is instantly in front of Naru, holding back the enraged ex-monk. John is at his other side, trying to calm him down. Ayako hurries to Naru, examining the reddening cheek and split lip.

"I thought you said you got here earlier! You were supposed to get here and get her out, weren't you? That's why you went ahead, wasn't it? How could you let this happen?!" He roars angrily.

Naru remains stoic, his fists clenched to the side, his dark hair covering his eyes.

"Answer me!"

"Bou-san, please!"

At length, Naru finally moves to brush of Ayako's prodding. He looks up slightly, and the others flinch at the obvious fury roiling in his eyes. Takigawa backs off slightly as Naru turns to the hallway leading to the offices.

"Get to work. I'll be back shortly." He says in a tight voice.

"Naru." Lin says quietly in warning. Once the young investigator had isolated himself in one of the small records rooms, Lin finally releases Takigawa.

Ayako smacks him in the back of the head. "Way to go, meathead."

Takigawa says nothing, looking away. A part of him is ashamed, realizing belatedly that Naru of all people would be the one taking the situation the hardest. But a part of him can't help the anger; he felt almost betrayed that Naru would fail at protecting Mai.

They simply had _that_ much faith in Naru. And now…

 _Lord Almighty, please keep Mai-san safe from harm,_ John fervently prays.

* * *

 _Mai wakes up to the black abyss that makes up the realm of lingering spirits. She doesn't even have to wait for Gene to appear, a worried look contorting his handsome features._

" _Mai, are you okay?"_

 _Mai smiles wryly. "Well, as far as spirit-wise wellbeing goes, I'm feeling pretty fine. I don't really remember-."_

 _Brief images of Rosemarie's ghost holding Hanako back, of her reaching out, Naru's panicked yell, and the shadow arms closing in on her, flit through her mind's eye._ Oh. Now I remember…

" _Seriously, Mai, you're so reckless. You're lucky you still had the charm Lin distributed earlier." Gene sighs in exasperation._

" _Gene, do you know what's happening here? Naru wasn't exactly able to brief me, before…" Mai bites her lip. "At least, tell me something I can do to help; with things this way, I'll be the burden again."_

 _Gene shakes his head. "You know that's not the case Mai. You're a lot of help to Noll and the others, more than you know."_

 _Seeing her stubborn expression he sighs again. "The owner of the mansion has turned into a demon. He's been here for so long, surrounded by cursed and haunted antiques that his soul is beyond helping. By purification, that is."_

" _You mean, he's become like Urado?"_

 _Gene nods. Mai sucks in a breath. "…T-Then, Misao-san, and the others are…?" Gene does not meet her eyes._

" _Wait, what about Hanako-chan?! She was also given a charm, wasn't she?" Mai suddenly finds it hard to breathe._

" _Mai, calm down! You'll damage your connection to your body if your spirit becomes unstable. You must calm down." Gene holds her face in his hands. "Mai, look at me. Focus. You'll be fine. Calm down."_

" _H-Hanako-chan is…?"_

" _I cannot promise anything. I don't know for sure if she's fine. If you make it in time, then you can still save her." He hesitates. "At the very least, save her soul from becoming devoured by the demon."_

 _Mai lets out a choked sob, but sucks in the rest of her tears. Her eyes are teary but determined as she looks at Gene._

" _Tell me what I can do, Gene."_

 _The abyss shifts, and Mai finds herself looking at an x-ray view of the Shichi mansion, surrounded by human souls all drowned in regret and sorrow. One of them drifts closer to her, and in a moment of clarity, Mai knows now what she must do._

* * *

A/N.

Yes, I really did post two chapters in as many days. Sadly though, I don't think I can do it again for a third time. Consider it a treat, and part of my apology (although with how things ended in this chapter, maybe not?) But yay! Naru's here, and as usual, just in the nick of time. Hope you enjoyed reading it!

I hope the increase (and decrease) of my original characters aren't too confusing to follow. Welp, until the next update!


	7. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt. All rights to Fuyumi Ono-sensei.

* * *

Chapter 6.

Centuries Worth of Sorrow.

Naru stares at the still lengthening cracks on the window, taking deep, measured breaths. Residue energy is still simmering just beneath his skin. He grits his teeth.

His cheek still throbs, but his self-aimed fury and straining mental barriers utilize all his focus.

When his reflection blinks and contorts into a worried look on its own, Naru blinks in slight shock.

 _Gene?_

' _Get a hold of yourself, you idiot!'_ Gene says angrily. _'You won't be able to do anything if you get stuck in an ICU.'_

Naru takes another calming breath. _I already know that… How is Mai?_

Gene closes his eyes. _'She's fine for now. Lin's protective charm is still working. You've got time.'_

Naru closes his eyes in barely restrained relief. _How are you able to contact me so soon?_

' _About that… I would've thought you'd notice by now.'_ Naru narrows his eyes. _'The boundary between the spirit realm and the realm of the living has gone really thin in this place.'_

… _The mirror._

Gene nods.

' _On the bright side, our contact is much easier. I'll have a slightly easier time flitting between you and Mai.'_

 _And on the bad side?_

Gene hesitates. _'It'll be that much easier for spirits to get trapped into the realm of the living…'_

Naru clenches his fists. _As well as the other way around, you mean._

Gene nods again, his face twisted in anguish for his brother's plight.

Finally, the younger twin closes his eyes. _Go. I'll be fine. Take care of Mai._

Gene looks at his brother with a slight smile. _'We believe in you, idiot scientist. You can do this.'_

 _Was there ever a doubt?_

' _Narcissist.'_ Naru's lips twitch.

* * *

" _Molly, make sure to serve another batch of those dinner rolls. They're running low on table three." The head servant calls out._

 _Molly nods as she takes out a tray of fresh bread rolls from the oven._

 _The masquerade was in full swing, and over a hundred people have turned up for it. All the maids, butlers and chefs are up to their necks in work. There was always a stack of plates that need washing, wine glasses that needed refilling, food that needed to be replenished with another batch._

 _She simply could not be let off of work tonight; none of them were. But that didn't make her feel any better for missing the triplets' birthday._

 _Molly felt even worse that she'd lied to them. None of them knew she'd settled for work as a maid for the Bernards, regardless of their notoriety for mistreating their workers. So instead, she'd told them she was chosen to play for the Bernards, and was not allowed to refuse._

 _She resolved to take home some left over cakes for them as compensation._

 _But Molly was too foolish. She'd never once considered the possibility that her siblings would sneak in to catch a glimpse of their sister "play" for the Bernards in their big masquerade ball._

 _Until Linda, her friend who knew how the triplets looked like, tells her she'd seen them in a corner of the ballroom._

 _She searches and searches, but the head servant mistakes her to be sneaking out of her duties and traps her in the kitchen. When the screams began, she panics and tries to shove her way through the stampede of people rushing out of the ballroom._

 _The screams and roaring flames deafen her. The smoke and ash make her tear up even more, and they burn hot trails down her cheeks as she sobs._

" _Andrew! Ben! Sarah! Where are you?! Ben! Andrew! Sarah!"_

 _She doesn't see the burning wooden beam crashing down on her. In a flash, her world is awash in flames. Her back aches and burns, aches and burns. Fiery agony on skin, flesh and bone - so hot, so hot, sohothothothot…_

* * *

 _Thomas didn't mean it._

 _Fred wasn't supposed to do that. He knew he was going to kill Nichola._

 _He knew, he knew. After all, he was doing it for him._

 _No, things weren't supposed to turn out this way._

 _It was the mask, the mask! Fred said Nichola would be wearing the silver one. He said so, he did!_

 _He made sure Fred said Nichola would be in silver. Fred wasn't supposed to be wearing the silver. Fred was supposed to be wearing the gold one. That's what he said._

 _He said he wanted his brother dead. That Nichola didn't deserve the fortune. He said so, he did!_

 _Fred promised him a good position if he inherited the firm instead. Fred said Nichola was going to throw him away. Fred wasn't supposed to lie. Nichola was the one who lied. He always did, he always did._

 _They'd planned this for weeks. Fred said he was going to see this through. He said so, he did! He swore he'd see it to the end, he did!_

 _So he made sure the knife plunged deep, past the waistcoat, past the dress shirt, past flesh, past bone and into the heart. His aim had been true. He made sure it was, he did._

 _But the smile on his face was Fred's, not Nichola. Fred was the one under the silver mask, not Nichola. Fred was the one whose life he'd taken, not Nichola._

 _It was Fred's blood on his hands, not Nichola's._

 _Fred, not Nichola._

 _No, it wasn't supposed to be this way!_

 _He didn't mean it, he swears. He was supposed to kill Nichola. It was Nichola. Nichola who was going to fire him from the firm; Nichola who stole his beloved from his arms; Nichola who sold Thomas's idea as his own. Nichola, Nichola, Nichola the devil._

 _Not Fred. Not Fred. Not Fred._

 _Thomas stared horrified as the blood seeped into carpet and stone, and Fred ceased to move. He backed away, frantic, knocking over a lamp. Thomas stared horrified as the carpet caught fire, and ate away at the fabric, at Fred's shoes, trousers, flesh-. Up the curtains, the wooden beams and banisters, the door._

 _Trembling, Thomas took the dagger out from Fred's chest, plunging it into his own._

 _Thomas didn't mean it. He didn't, he didn't._

* * *

 _Roberta sat in her rocking chair, eyes trained on the driveway that led up to her house._

 _She took long breaths, as deep as her aged lungs allowed. It was tiring labor, to keep breathing, to keep sitting. But she made each steady breath, sat past hour after hour._

 _Her son's letter came a month ago. He said he'd bring his wife Lucia and their son Pedro to visit in a fortnight._

 _That fortnight was supposed to be last week, if the date on the letter was true. But Paolo never broke his promises. He said he'd visit her, and he definitely will._

 _Roberta needed to see them at least one more time. The doctor told her she didn't have long; that the medicine could only work for so long._

 _Not that she wanted to wait too long; she sorely missed her husband who'd gone before her years ago._

 _But she wanted to see little Pedro one more time. So she'd wait._

 _She'd wait patiently, sit on her rocking chair by the window and breathe. Breathe through the hours, breathe through the pain._

 _Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months. Roberta lay in her bed, unable to sit on her rocking chair by the window. She couldn't believe Paolo hadn't come. He was going to miss her, and be too late…!_

 _No, not yet… At least let her see Pedro's charming smile…_

 _After Roberta breathed her last, a telegram came - her son Paolo and his family had met an accident on the way to visit her. The landslide crushed their carriage and killed them in an instant._

* * *

 _Mai opens her eyes again to her dreamscape of the Shichi Mansion. The white orbs have noticeably decreased a bit._

 _She wipes the tears from her eyes and cheeks, swallowing._ I can do this. _She thinks._ Just keep at it, Mai.

 _Another human soul hovers close, and Mai closes her eyes, embracing yet another spirit's memories._

* * *

The tension remains thick and heavy nearly an hour after the rest of SPR arrived, and the short altercation that followed. Everyone had been silent; though despite Naru's vague instructions, they'd been quite productive - well, as far as erecting barriers and making protective charms went for productivity.

Lin had taken over coordinating with the remaining staff, including Setsuya. The remaining members from the tour group, that is, Tyler, Miyaka, Keiko, Michiru and Rika, have been left to drown in the heavy silence. Tyler is the first to crack from the pressure.

"Will someone _please_ explain to us just what the _hell_ is going on?"

"Hell is certainly one way to put it."

Heads swivel to turn to Naru, who finally emerges from one of the inner offices. Save for the red mark on his cheek, and the small cut on his lip, he's as cool and composed as ever. On the surface, at least. Those who've known him better wince at the frigid air surrounding him. They watch silently as he leans against the side of the empty sofa, facing the remaining guests.

"Before I explain my theory, I'd like to hear your accounts of the events inside the mansion, from the moment you entered to when we returned here. Kanzaki-san, if we may begin with you?"

Rika wets her lips, eyes fixing on her fists on her lap.

"From the beginning… Misao had been uneasy the moment we'd stepped foot in the mansion…" Naru does not miss the exchange of looks between Keiko and Michiru, nor the tightening grip Rika has on her skirt. "We've gone on a lot of similar tours abroad, you see, so we're more than used to the spooks and stories. In a way, Misao has already learned to actually tell the difference between genuine haunts and made-up stories - and well, she's always been able to handle herself either way.

"But the moment we went through those doors, Misao told me she felt weird - she was especially shaken after she was attacked in the restroom the first time…" Rika takes a shaky breath. "She told me what really happened - that the room suddenly got cold, and she somehow couldn't open the door even if it had no lock. And then, the foreign girl that appeared in the mirror… She told me, it felt like walking into a trap, or a disguised mine field - like she was being forced to feel comfortable."

The words strike a chord within Naru. In his head, Mai's voice echoes the same sentiments. _It was like…I was made to feel a fake sense of ease._

"I see." Naru cups his chin in his left hand. "And then?"

Rika pauses. "A-after Misao got attacked in the restroom, I started feeling something weird - or maybe I'd already felt it, but only then really noticed it. I felt uneasy, as though a million eyes were watching me, and it got worse as we went deeper into the mansion. Sometimes I thought I would catch a glimpse of someone or something peeking from around the corner or behind a door, but when I turned, there was nobody there." Rika smiles apologetically, "I know it doesn't sound too convincing. Even now, a part of me thinks it might have just been Misao projecting her anxiety and paranoia through me, or even my own fear making things up..."

Naru nods. "That is a valid probability and is yet to be disproven. What about your accounts?" This he addresses to Keiko and Michiru. Keiko leans forward.

"Michiru and I noticed Mai acting weird the deeper we got into the mansion. She was either spacing out - as though she was seeing or watching something we couldn't - or being really cautious of her surroundings. She kept looking around sometimes as though she were expecting something bad to happen."

"Do you remember exactly when or where she started acting 'weird'?"

"Soon after we continued the tour, after Uesugi-san was first attacked!" Michiru speaks up. "The worst was when we entered the study above the ballroom. Mai even stopped us and told us to not touch the mirrors. She seemed to nearly freak out when we entered the room. I can't say I blame her, though."

Naru's raised brow prompts her to continue. "Being in that room made me feel really uneasy and nervous. I don't know how else to explain it other than that something about that room felt weird and wrong. Like I was being watched, or something was about to pop up from behind me."

"Has your other friend experienced something as well? The girl who was taken with Mai - did _she_ seem to act strange or uneasy throughout the tour?"

Michiru and Keiko glance at each other for a moment in question, then Keiko gasps. "Oh! During the second break, after we tried looking for Uesugi-san, the four of us went to the restroom across the hall - but only Michiru and I actually went in the cubicles."

Michiru's eyes also widen in recollection. "Mai and Hanako-chan waited for us. They were talking when we went in, and so I found it kind of weird when they went quiet for a while. I think it might've gotten cold for a bit, but I didn't pay it much attention."

Keiko nods, "It seemed like it was only a short time, but when we got out, Mai and Hanako-chan were both so pale. Mai said the same ghost that had attacked Uesugi-san when she was in the restroom, had appeared to them, and pointed at them… something about joining her or something…"

Naru's eyes have narrowed at this point, thoughts going a mile a minute. He ignores Takigawa and the rest bemoaning Mai's penchant for danger yet again.

A snort breaks the short silence.

Eyes swivel incredulously at the Tyler, who's equally incredulous.

"You lot seriously _believe_ in all this paranormal _bullcrap_? It's obviously all a hoax to stir up some media craze! That, or a legitimate group of psychopaths are wreaking havoc inside the damn property - as a matter of fact, it is not at all too outrageous a possibility that you people are in on it as well."

The occupants in the room shiver as the room temperature suddenly decreases. Naru puts on a cold smile.

 _He's snapped. He's definitely angry right now,_ the SPR irregulars think nervously.

"If I'd wanted to decrease the amount of stupid people in the world, summoning a demon to do it for me would be a waste of time and effort." Naru turns towards a window facing the mansion. "As it is, we have more than enough on our hands dealing with what's haunting this place."

"Shibuya-san…?" Michiru asks hesitantly, both wanting to know and afraid to understand. "What exactly is going on…?"

"There is a ghoul residing in this mansion. A gaki, a hungry ghost - it all means the same. What makes this situation dangerous to the point of life-threatening, is that this particular gaki has lingered in such a spiritually active area, for nearly two centuries. Exacerbated by the fact that it's devoured such a large number of negative, evil spirits, it's well on its way to becoming a demon - a jikininki, if you follow Buddhist beliefs."

The room plunges into silence, as nearly all occupants turn pale in fear and shock. Naru observes from the corner of his eyes as Setsuya clenches his fist, pale and silent even as several of his employees cry out in disbelief and shock.

"Originally, this was a case taken up by an older colleague of mine. However, he'd been incapacitated in the middle of his investigation, and was unable to completely exorcise the entity. He'd only been successful in sealing the entity in one of the antique mirrors in the mansion. He's since contacted me to take over and finish his job - which is why my team and I are here. This was several weeks ago, hence the seal isn't going to hold up for much longer." Naru shifts his stance and crosses his arms. "However it appears it has been tampered with, judging from the escalation of attacks most of you have witnessed earlier."

Several eyes turn to stare conspicuously at Tyler - those who'd been in the tour group, as well as the two staff members who'd been monitoring the mansion earlier, had all witnessed him touch a certain mirror - who prickles and stands up in defense.

"Are you for real? You expect me to believe you, just like that? A few people go missing inside a haunted house attraction, and you're all freaking out, completely discounting the huge possibility that this could all be some sick prank?!"

Naru's cold stare could've curdled milk. Tyler barely restrains himself from flinching.

"I assure you, Smith-san, that this is not some prank or psychotic scheme devised by me. Now, whether you believe me or not is entirely up to you, but I will not waste precious time trying to convince you. However, it would be greatly appreciated if you could avoid from becoming a further hindrance to this investigation."

"Matsuzaki-san," Ayako straightens with a start, practically sweating bullets. "Have you prepared the charms I asked you to?"

"Y-yes, it should be enough for everybody here," She replies, mentally cursing herself for stuttering.

"Bou-san?"

"This building has been secured and safely barricaded against evil spirits, and any mild attacks from that entity you claim is haunting this place."

"Good." Naru says with a nod. "Just in time; the sun is going down."

Indeed, outside the sky is awash in deep hues of red and orange; night is fast approaching. Naru sighs, straightening up and heading towards the surveillance room.

"I'm still waiting for a final confirmation of a few things. For now, no one is to go outside for anything; it'll be too late and too dangerous to leave the premises from this moment onwards.

* * *

" _Thank you again, Olivier." Jeffrey held the package in his hands as though it were a sacred relic. "You've done a marvelous job, once again."_

 _The old painter tipped his cap. "'Twas my pleasure, Jeff. Be sure to give my regards to the lovely lady, you lucky dog."_

 _Jeffrey laughed in good humor. "Don't I know it."_

 _He climbed into his carriage, instructing the coach to take him to his love._

 _In the confines of his carriage, he took off his silver wig, and unbuttoned his cuffs. Taking out his pocket watch, he looked with tenderness at the portrait of his beloved - Cecilia._

 _The month had been unnaturally long without her by his side. But he'd finally gotten his bill passed, and now he can finally go home to her loving arms._

" _I'm coming home soon, my love. I'm sorry I made you wait so long." He pressed his lips on her portrait._

 _A loud thump rocked the carriage from behind. The carriage shook and trembled, and the distinct sound of a gunshot met his ears. There was a pained cry._

" _What in the devil-?"_

 _He choked on his words, suddenly finding it hard to breathe. He looked on in disbelief as blood blossomed on his chest, to the tip of the sword protruding from it. Someone…from behind…_

 _He coughed, choking on his blood, one hand clenched around his pocket watch, another, bloodstained and brushing against the brown paper underneath which lay the painting of his beloved smiling beatifically at him._

" _Ce…ci…lia…"_

* * *

 _Mai is still crying as her surroundings dissolve back into greyscales and floating lights. After a moment, she takes a deep, cleansing breath, willing herself to let go of all the negative feelings in her spirit._

 _When she opens her eyes, she's mildly surprised at the changed surroundings - a street lined by old Japanese houses with tall walls and wooden gates, with a few people walking around in traditional clothes._

 _For a moment, she tenses slightly, expecting a pull, a tug behind the bellybutton, to drag her into the place, the mind, the memories of another sorrowful lingering spirit. But it doesn't come._

 _Instead, she stays unseen, unnoticed, witnessing the memory from a third person's point of view. Despite herself, Mai feels a wave of relief for the reprieve._

 _Then, she returns her focus on the scene._

 _The wooden gates in front of her are ajar. A young officer is speaking to two women - an old mother and her young daughter. Mai doesn't hear any of the words exchanged, but the somber look in the officer's stern face, and the grief-stricken ones of the two women are enough to get the gist of it._

 _The man suddenly turns to Mai, and she jolts in surprise. For a moment, she thinks he's beckoning her to move forward, but then someone shifts from her periphery._

 _Mai doesn't get to see the boy's face when he slowly trudges forward, his small shoulders quivering slightly. From his size, he couldn't have been older than six or seven. His clothes are ragged and dirty, but the women embrace him tightly, tears pouring down their cheeks._

 _The scene fades, replaced by children's voices. Mai turns to find a little girl in pigtails, pouting with large pleading eyes._

" _Please, Aniki? You haven't played with me at all lately. You're always reading and reading those foreign books."_

 _Mai hears a sigh, and the soft closing of a book. She still can't see the boy properly, but he's grown significantly. His height and voice suggest he's at the cusp of puberty._

" _Fine, fine, I'll play with you." His tone is resigned and exasperated; yet Mai knows he's inwardly willing and eager. The little girl squeals in excitement, and they chase each other all over the place. Eventually, the boy catches up to her, lifting her up by the waist. The sound of their laughter fills the air._

 _The scene shifts again, and this time the girl, looking a few years older now, is sobbing._

" _Don't cry, please. I'll be back in the winter, I promise," The boy says, with his back to Mai. He kneels in front of the girl, dropping his luggage as he hugs her. "Before you know it, the snow will be falling and I'll be knocking on the door."_

" _Promise?" She hiccups, wiping her red cheeks._

" _Promise."_

 _From behind them the two women from earlier, now evidently older, move to give their own farewells to the boy._

" _Thank you for everything, Oba-san, Baa-san." He bows deeply, rising only when the younger of the two women places a hand on his shoulder._

" _You've grown up wonderfully so fast, Hideo-kun." She smiles at him tearfully. "Despite what you may think, I've come to think of you as my own. So take care of yourself out there, okay? We will always be here for you, Hideo-kun."_

 _Mai doesn't see his face, but his back is tense as he gives a tiny nod in reply. Slowly, the puzzles start adding up a little, in her head. Hideo was the child from before…taken in by his aunt and his grandmother… an orphan? The little girl… probably a cousin? Or a sister?_

 _As she watches the tearful sendoff, Mai knows one thing. Whether they'd been blood related or not, they were family._

 _A man in English suit walks up the road, his hat shadowing his features. Mai realizes belatedly this is the same Hideo from a while ago, years and years into the future._

 _She follows him back to the big house with the wooden gates… only, there is no big house with wooden gates._

 _Instead, bits and chunks of the white walls stand dilapidated and overgrown with weeds. The doors are rotting, barely hanging on loose hinges._

" _W-W-Wha-?"_

 _What on earth happened?_

 _Mai is just as bewildered._

" _Kusanagi-san…?" A middle aged woman approaches hesitantly, unsure. "Is that you, Kusanagi-san?"_

 _Mai wonders who that is, but when Hideo turns to face the woman, she assumes it's him. Kusanagi Hideo._

" _Yes, yes, I am Kusanagi Hideo…"_

" _Oh! I am Furukawa Hitomi. I was a student of aunt." She offers a deep bow. "I offer my sincerest condolences for your loss. Fuwa Hanami-han* was a good person…and Kisa-chan was so young too…"_

"' _Hanami-han'? W-What are you trying to say?"_

 _Hitomi blinks at his tone, quickly replaced by horrified understanding. "Kusanagi-san…all this time, you didn't know…? Well, I heard they had some difficulty contacting you abroad, but it's been years - I thought for sure they'd have reached you by now…"_

" _What are you saying? Where are Oba-san and Kisa? Baa-san?" Hideo nearly lunges at the woman, and by the barely contained wince on the woman's face, Mai figures his grip on her shoulders is painfully tight._

 _The man notices it too, and releases her with a muttered apology._

" _Kusanagi-san," Hitomi begins, hesitantly, unable to meet his eyes._

 _Mai understands immediately. The doctors had used the same tone when they told her of her mother's passing, years ago. Her heart breaks for the man - she more than anyone, knows what it feels like to lose one's family. She couldn't bear the possibility of experiencing that grief for a second time._

" _There was a fire, one summer night - it was so sudden. Everyone tried to help, but the drought had decreased the water supply so much… We couldn't even get past the engawa." Hitomi covers her mouth as tears start slipping from her eyes._

 _Hideo drops to his knees. "No… no…!"_

 _Mai can't bear to watch any further. To be an orphan…and find family again, only to lose it again… and such a painful death too… It's a sorrow and grief a bit too close to home, and rekindles a fear she'd buried deep within her heart._

" _I'm so sorry."_

 _Hitomi's whisper echoes and ripples through the dreamscape. The last thing Mai hears is the man's broken sobs._

* * *

 _Mai finds herself craning her neck up at a younger version of the Shichi Mansion. The paved cement driveway is not there; only packed dirt and dust. But the fountain is working, without a single crack on the statue's stone cheeks._

 _Looking around, it's hard to believe she was still in Japan._

" _All the preparations have been done, Kusanagi-dono."_

 _Only then does Mai see the two gentlemen standing by the front doors. The same man from her earlier dreams is there, looking older. Beside him is the man who'd spoken, an older, but shorter man._

" _Very good. You've done well, Takarada-san."_

 _Takarada only bows in reply._

"… _Has there been any word from…?"_

" _I'm afraid not, milord."_

"… _I see." Hideyo pauses for a long time. "Tell me, my friend. Am I such a deplorable person?"_

 _Takarada looks startled. "…Milord?"_

" _Am I so despicable that everyone I love leaves me, one way or another?"_

"… _Not at all milord." Takarada looks at his master with old, gentle eyes. "If I may, perhaps it is better to think that you are merely paying in advance?"_

 _Hideyo smiles bitterly. "So I am to do something so deplorable later on that I'm being punished for it now?"_

" _That's not what I mean, milord," Takarada shakes his head. "Rather, later on, you will experience something that, had you not experienced all that you have before then, would not be as meaningful or as gratifying."_

" _Such a beautiful possibility you have painted for me, my friend." Hideyo says, eyes distant and unseeing. "I'm afraid it is too much for me to hope for something as great as that."_

 _His words seem to resonate deeply within Mai; she feels her heart clench tightly. A carriage arrives and stops in front of the two._

" _Careful what you tell me, Takarada-san," Hideyo says finally. "…I may just take your word for it, and you'd have to take responsibility."_

* * *

Mai comes into consciousness slowly. Her body feels heavy and her mind is sluggish. It's difficult to open her eyes. It feels as though she were light and heavy all at once.

 _Where am I? …What happened?_

The familiar numbness that sets in after her astral projection sessions starts crawling all over her body. She focuses on the sensation to ground herself; concentrating her attention to each part - from her extremities and up and inward until the numbness went away at last.

But for some reason, she can't reach full consciousness. There's a tugging in her head that lulls her, keeping her from waking fully. She starts feeling cold from the inside; she'd probably shiver had she been able to move. But despite her tired mind, she manages to keep from going under completely. A patch of warmth presses against her thigh.

 _Pocket… charm… Charm?_

Her mind struggles to keep up her train of thoughts. Why did she have a charm again? The aura it radiates is familiar…

… _Ah. Charm. From Lin… Lin. Naru… attack…attack. Hanako-!_

Mai opens her eyes with a gasp in realization. Instantly, the cold comes back with a vengeance, dragging her back under. She struggles, tries to hold on to her thoughts.

 _Naru. Must go to Naru…!_

Mai loses her battle to stay awake, however she does not go under. Instead, her soul detaches itself from her body, swept away by some kind of spiritual force or current.

She barely remembers to keep a firm hold on the charm Lin gave her. She feels it pulse in her hand before she slips away.

* * *

"Masako-san?"

John cautiously eyes the young medium. Earlier, she'd been about ready to faint upon entering the premises (which wasn't exactly new…) apparently from the sheer number of lingering souls inhabiting the mansion. And every single one of them had been in varying states of negativity. She looked a little less paler once the barriers had been set up in the reception building, but John kept an eye on her out of habit.

That's how he immediately notices the sudden change in her. The young medium sits up with a start, wearing an expression of confusion and shock. Her gaze never waivers from the mansion as she walks up to the nearest window.

"Masako-san? What's wrong?" This time, other people in the room turn to look at the pair. "Are you alright?"

"What, do you think she's possessed?" Bou-san turns to Ayako, whispering, "Oi, baa-chan, you sure your charms actually work?"

"Of course they work, dumbass!" Ayako hisses in reply. "What about you?! Didn't you make a mistake putting up the barrier?"

"What's going on?" Naru reenters the main room, glaring at the bickering duo. John quickly interjects, slightly flustered in his haste to prevent bloodshed, "Ah, Shibuya-san! It's Masako-san…"

The blonde gestures helplessly at Masako, who's gaze remains transfixed out the window. "I think she's recovered slightly; her complexion's a bit better… however, she suddenly stood up and like this…"

"I see." Naru turns to Masako. "Hara-san. What's going on?"

For a long moment, it seems as though Masako would remain unresponsive. However, just as Naru opens his mouth to ask again, she finally replies. "The mansion somehow feels… different. It's not as bad as when we first came here earlier today…. there are actually less spirits around… as if they'd moved on all of a sudden."

They pause, looking at each other uncertainly.

"Could it be…?" John asks first.

"You guys don't think…" Bou-san continues. "…Mai might have something to do with this, perhaps?"

"It's highly possible," Masako says, "Mai is probably responsible for purifying the missing spirits. Spirits who've been carrying such negativity as these don't simply move on of their own accord."

Bou-san sighs with a resigned air. "Such a reckless, hardworking girl."

Naru looks at the mansion for a while longer, before sighing himself. "Stupid idiot."

"Oi! Is that what you're supposed to say when I've done such a good job?"

All eyes swivel towards the translucent version of Mai, standing in the middle of the room. Mai starts at all the attention, slightly amused by their wide-eyed stares. _Heh, even Naru is in total shock. Man, I wish I had my camera right now!_

"Hey guys!" She grins, left hand in a v-sign.

"MAI?!"

* * *

A/N.

*inhales* I'M REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY SORRY FOR THE SUPER LATE UPDATE! I know, I said I'd have uploaded this before the New Year, but well... I'm just really sorry. I didn't expect to have become so busy, and all the more, I didn't expect to be stuck on this chapter for so long. Thank you for waiting, and thank you for reading, and supporting me through follows, favorites and reviews!

The dreams are really meant to be a bit disorienting, as most dreams are, and they don't always make perfect, clear sense, even if Mai is projecting into spirits' memories... after all, I don't think any person can actually recall long, distant memories with utmost clarity... I think? Well, that was my objective with the dream parts, and I can only hope it came across that way. I would really appreciate it if you guys send me your thoughts about this chapter... I don't really feel confident with this, but I couldn't put it off any longer.

Well, that's it for now. Hopefully the next chapters will be easier to write? This is actually where I've started placing more "easter eggs" for the mystery bit of this case. I hope I did it properly. Ah well.

'Til next time~!

\- Miss March


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